Power poll results to date

The graph below shows responses to DEUN's poll to date: "What was your highest monthly electricity bill this winter? And what was the main way you heated your house that month?" Participate in the Poll here.

We are not out to prove anything with this poll. It is more for the interest of readers, to think of your own winter power bills, your heating choices, and what type of climate you face.

Comments are welcomed. To comment, you must register, but you may use an alias if you prefer. Your details are confidential to the administrator of this site (Molly Melhuish) If you wish to make your support public, just SIGN UP.

Some comments on these results:

These are the electricity bills, and do not include any money paid for gas, lpg or firewood

Winter 2009 was the coldest in decades, and we have asked for the highest monthly bill, so these bills cannot be taken as typical.

The highest bills are clearly related to climate. The lowest bills are typically $90-100, and not related to climate.

Regional differences are evident: Natural gas was often used in Wellington, but not Auckland.

Householders that used heat pumps used similar amounts of electricity to households that used plug-in heaters. But their houses were undoubtedly much warmer.

Householders using wood heating had generally lower electricity bills than those that used either heat pumps or plug-in heaters.

In the coldest climate zone, electricity bills did not fully reflect the cold climate. It may be that low incomes in the south of the South Island, and in inland rural parts of both islands, lead to either colder houses or the use of wood and coal available at very low cost.