Electricity use for home heating increases

Electricity use for home heating increases

18 March 2014

More New Zealanders are using electricity to heat their homes and fewer are using gas, wood, or coal, according to census results released by Statistics New Zealand today.

“Electricity was the most common heating fuel in 2013, and its use increased over the previous seven years,” General Manager 2013 Census Gareth Meech said.

“In 2013, electricity was used for heating in 79.2 percent of occupied private dwellings, up from 74.8 percent in 2006, and 72.0 percent in 2001.”

Home ownership continued its downward trend, with the proportion of people who owned their home falling to just under half. In 2013, 49.8 percent of people aged 15 years and over owned or partly owned the home they lived in, compared with 53.2 percent in 2006.

“The decline in home ownership occurred across all age groups, from those in their 20s to those in their 70s, with the largest falls for those in their 30s and 40s,” Mr Meech said. “In 2013, 43.0 percent of people aged 30–39 years owned or partly owned their home, down from 54.6 percent in 2001.”
2013 Census Quickstats about housing, which contains detailed information about New Zealand’s housing stock, also reveals trends in the number, type, and size of the dwellings we are living in.

“The housing information released today gives us valuable insight into how New Zealanders are living, and how that’s changing over time,” Mr Meech said.

Joined dwellings (eg, flats and apartments) are becoming more common in our main centres, now accounting for 37.0 percent of occupied private dwellings in Wellington city. And, while the standard Kiwi three-bedroom home remains most common, the last 12 years had steady growth in the number of four- and five-bedroom dwellings.

Other key points from today’s release show that:
• Average annual growth between 2006 and 2013 for occupied dwellings was 0.9 percent – lower than in any other period between censuses from 1981 onwards.
• One in 10 dwellings were unoccupied on census night, with the number of unoccupied dwellings increasing in every region since 2006, although there was little change in the Auckland region.
• Use of gas, wood, and coal as heating fuels declined. Bottled gas decreased the most, used in 15.4 percent of occupied private dwellings in 2013, compared with 27.7 percent in 2006.

2013 Census QuickStats about housing has more information.

For more information about these statistics:

• Visit 2013 Census QuickStats about housing – Media release
Ends

© Scoop Media