Heatwave boosts air-con repair waiting lists in Rotorua

As the heat prevails, more air conditioners are needing services, people are staying indoors and pet hair clippers are selling like hot cakes in Rotorua.

Resident Heka Rangi said he had stayed later at work to avoid the heat and sit in the air conditioning as his house did not have any.

"I bring lunch. I don't even leave the office on breaks because walking to get lunch is just too much. The whole office is the same."

Rangi had just purchased a large inflatable pool but had to order it online as they had sold out in store.

A spokeswoman from G B Teat said the heating and air conditioning company had a lot of people calling for their air conditioner to be serviced.

"People are realising it's not keeping them as cool, or working as well as it should."

While January had been steady in terms of repairs and services, the last few days had picked up significantly as the high heat put the machines under more pressure, she said.

A general service air conditioner service takes about an hour, and a once-a-year service is recommended to maintain the working order.

G B Teat had 10 private and commercial air conditioners on the to-do list at the beginning of yesterday .

Animates Rotorua had also noticed a response to the heat with hair clippers, animal-friendly ice creams, paw-socks and cooling mats sought after.

Store manager Kevin Nicholls said this week alone the store had sold four hair clippers and he was happy to see people take initiative to keep their pets cool.

Nicholls said while most owners were aware of how to keep their pets cool, it was a matter of reminding people the animals feel the heat as much as humans.

"They need us, it's like having a child...they rely on you."

How is the temperature measured?

Hot on the minds of many, some have noticed a different reading on their home and car thermometers than what has been published.

NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll said the company's climate stations were certified by the World Meteorological Organisation.

"There are certain rules and regulations that we follow so we can get the most accurate figures, and that may not always be the case with home weather stations or cars."

A 1.5m height was chosen to read temperatures at as it was the rough chest height of most people and was less polluted by ground temperatures which would read hotter.

Despite the heat, and an increase in water consumption, the council is not currently imposing any water restrictions.

Rotorua Lakes Council Water Operations Manager Eric Cawte said the council did encourage people to use water sparingly.

"We have seen a sharp increase in water consumption over the past few days.

Cawte said while most water supplies were managing with the increased demand, eastern and central city supplies were at more than double or three-quarters the average daily consumption in winter.

"Given current water usage and with further hot weather forecast, it is timely that we ask people to be aware of the increased demand on our water supplies, and to avoid any unnecessary use or wastage of water."