One in five Australian households now use solar
According to the latest data sheets from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) one in five Australian households now use solar energy. Of course the statistics also show an increase in energy usage with two in three Australians having a smart phone and three in four with air conditioning.
"We started publishing statistics on solar electricity in 2011", said Karen Connaughton from the ABS, "and back then the numbers were pretty small - only about five per cent of households."
"Jump just three years, to 2014, and there are solar panels being used by fourteen per cent of all households.
"Add in solar hot water heating and we're up to 19 per cent, so one in five households are now using some form of solar power.
"As you might expect in sunny Australia, three-quarters of Australian households use some form of cooling, with just under half choosing reverse cycle air conditioning and the remainder mostly split between refrigerated air conditioning and evaporative coolers.
"The hot spot for cooling was the Northern Territory, where 97 per cent of households had some form of cooling, while Tasmania was cold to the idea; with only about half having cooling.
"It was the opposite with heating, as close to 90 per cent of NT households felt they could skip heating entirely, but in the ACT it seems you'd have to pry the heater from their cold, wintery hands as only a tiny one per cent of Canberrans reported not having heating.
"On the home technology side of things, while we love our TVs - 98 per cent of households have one, you'll also find games consoles in use in every third household," said Ms Connaughton.
