Energy Types Used in Private Dwellings

The definition ‘Energy types used in private dwellings’ enables data about energy usage for space heating, water heating and cooking to be collected in occupied private dwellings.

Operational issues

The Statistical Standard for Energy Types used in Private Dwellings refers to energy types or sources in their initial state, which are externally supplied or accessed. For example, where an energy source is used to power an electric generator (which provides the dwelling with electricity for heating, cooking, etc), it is the initial energy source (petrol/diesel) used to power that generator, that should be recorded as the energy type used.

Explanatory notes

Changes to the standard

• Energy Type has replaced Fuel Type in the previous standard (1998) since technically, solar energy (which is included in the standard) is not a fuel type. Energy type is a term that more accurately reflects the rationale for this standard, which is to provide information on the types of energy consumed in occupied New Zealand private dwellings.
• The 1998 standard included the Household Economic Survey (HES), however the HES has been removed from the scope of the 2009 standard. The HES measures the amount of money spent on energy by households, which is a different concept from measuring the different types of energy used – the rationale for this new standard

Classification changes

The classification has changed from a flat classification to a hierarchical one which allows:

• the introduction of more detail to reflect new technology (eg pellet fires)
• further definition of the types of bottled and mains gases used, to reflect user requirements.

Level 1 of the classification is the same as level 1 of the previous standard classification, except that wood and coal have been expanded to include wood products and coal products. However the population census may use wood and coal as alternative labels.

Level 2 has been added to enable the collection of data on the use of new technology.