Every three years the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes data on household energy usage. The latest data was released yesterday (24 October 2011). It is based on a detailed survey conducted in March 2011.
The ABS data has comparatively small margins of error – it has large sample sizes and uses a consistent methodology from year to year. This survey has now been conducted in 2005, 2008 and 2011, allowing for comparisons over time.
Some highlights from the report:
• The majority of Australian households had some form of insulation (69%), from a high of 81% in the ACT to a low of 44% in the Northern Territory. The figure increased from 61% in 2008 to 69% in 2011.
• Six in ten (61%) households owned at least one laptop computer in 2011, up from 38% in 2008, while those with desktops have dropped from 60% to 55%.
• Front loader washing machines are becoming more common. They are now found in 31% of households, compared to just 13% in 2005 compared to 31% in 2011
• When purchasing selected electrical appliances in the last year, around half of all households considered energy star ratings.
• Nearly half (48%) of households use mains gas. Mains gas as a source of energy inside dwellings is most common in Victoria (82%). A higher proportion of households in capital cities (63%) use mains gas compared with 23% outside capital cities, where LPG/bottled gas is more common (29% of households, compared to 10% in capital cities).
• Just over half (52%) of hot water systems in Australian households are electric, and around a third (36%) use mains gas. Less than one in ten (8%) are solar powered (8%). The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of households with solar hot water systems (46%) followed by Western Australia (21%).
• Over a third (37%) of Australian households uses electricity as the main source of energy for heating, while just under a third (32%) uses gas. One in ten households still uses wood as the main source of energy for heating (10%).
• The proportion of households with a cooler in use (either a refrigerated air conditioner or an evaporative cooler) increased from 59% in 2005 to 73% in 2011.
The figures are consistent with Connection Research’s survey data, as most recently published in The Interconnected Home report. Usage of all manner of devices and appliances is rising – a later SER posting will detail usage of electronic devices.
