Your house
Many homes in New Zealand waste energy. They are badly designed and constructed, have inadequate insulation, and use a lot of energy to heat and run. There are, however, many things you can do to make your home warmer, healthier and more energy efficient.
In this section:
Key elements of a warmer, drier and healthier home
To really make your home warmer, drier and healthier to live in, it is important to think about how insulation, heating and ventilation work together as a system. Identifying and fixing any dampness issues is vital for these three elements to work together.
By thinking of each element as one part of the whole puzzle, it's easier to see how getting each part sorted contributes to a more comfortable and healthy living environment.
Tackling sources of excess moisture and dampness and insulating your home are jobs that only need doing once, and are worth doing properly. The initial costs are more than paid back in better comfort and health for your family and reduced energy bills.
Heating your home properly is easy and relatively cheap once you have good levels of insulation installed and have a correctly sized and installed, efficient type of heater in your home. Ventilation is often neglected, but getting into the habit is essential for creating a healthy home.
Find out more about sorting out your insulation, heating, ventilation and dampness.
Hot water and lighting
The systems you use in your home have a big impact on your energy use and your environmental footprint. Smart use of your hot water and lighting will help cut the energy waste around your home. And, when it comes time to replace things, good choices will give you systems that meet your needs using a lot less energy.
Find out more about hot water and lighting.
Energy uses in your home
New Zealand homes account for about 12% of the country's total energy use. In 2008, $2.5 billion was spent by households just on electricity.[1]
The average family household uses energy for the following:[2]
Electricity accounts for the majority (71%) of household energy use in a typical New Zealand household. Solid fuels (coal, wood, etc) account for 13%, natural gas 10% and LPG 3%.[2]
Please note, due to rounding these numbers add up to 101%.
More information
- Your guide to a Smarter Home - Department of Building and Housing website
- compare energy prices online at PowerSwitch
- Sustainable Living programme - information and courses to help you make changes to limit your environmental impact at home.
Notes:
[1] Energy Information and Modeling Group. 2009. New Zealand Energy Data File 2008 calendar year edition. June 2009. Wellington: Ministry of Economic Development.
[2] EECA Energy End Use Database, containing data for the year ending March.
