An Australian has been left furious after being threatened with a $10,000 fine for using his air conditioner at night because it was too noisy.
George said he has been told not to run the heating or cooling system at his property in Artarmon, on Sydney’s lower north shore, after 10pm.
He claimed to have received a notice from Willoughby Town Council warning him that he was also banned from using it before 7am.
The top of the letter read ‘Warning Letter: Noise Pollution’.
“I called the city and asked them, ‘What do you want me to do for heating and cooling?'” he said 2GB on Wednesday.
A resident of Artarmon, on Sydney’s North Shore, was threatened with a huge $10,000 fine by the council if he left the air conditioning on after 10pm at night (photo stock image)
George said he also received an email from the city claiming he would be fined $10,000.
According to the Protections of the Environment Operations Regulation 2017, it is an offense to use an air conditioner that causes noise pollution.
“The person causes or permits an air conditioner to be used in a residential building in such a manner as to produce noise that can be heard in every room of another residential building,” the law states.
The legislation states that the rule applies regardless of whether the door or window of the room affected by the noise is open between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays.
The rule also applies between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekends and public holidays.
The maximum penalty imposed on those who commit the offense is $11,000.
Wakehurst Independent MP Michael Regan, who was also mayor of the Northern Beaches, said his office received several noise complaints about air conditioners.
“Our customer service team would probably receive several [complaints] per day,” he said.
Mr Regan said it was not uncommon for residents to complain about air conditioners in neighboring properties, especially if the houses were very close.
Under state government regulations in NSW, a person can be fined up to $11,000 if an air conditioning system causes disruption to a neighboring property (pictured)
‘There were legitimate concerns about noise pollution, [like] Those air conditioners from Woolworths, where you can plug them into your windows, would make a lot of noise and they would be about two meters away from a bedroom window,” Mr Regan said.
Air conditioning units reach an average of 35 decibels and the systems should not be louder than 40 decibels, which is the average level of background or ambient noise.
Residents do not require planning or building permission if a proposal to install an air conditioning unit complies with the development regulations, which are specified in the State Environmental Planning Policy 2008.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Willoughby City Council for comment.