Children in homes with prepaid power meters risk developing bronchial illnesses because many families run out of cash to keep the meters topped up, experts say.
A survey of 324 households on prepaid meters by Otago University public health researchers has found that 51 per cent of those with children allowed their power to go off at least once in the past year because they could not afford to top up the meters.
Almost three-quarters (70.5 per cent) said they shivered inside at least once last winter as a result.
Papakura solo dad Abraham Tangiwai, a father of 12 who has six living with him, said his youngest, Doris, 8 and Troy, 4, had had more colds each winter since he went on to Mercury Energy's Glo-bug prepaid meter system after receiving a shock $900 power bill four years ago.
"We run out of power just about every week. Sometimes we spend a whole day or two days without power if it cuts out on a Friday or Saturday because you have to pay $5 to reconnect at the weekend."
He said the family never used heaters, to save costs, and he usually cooked outside on the barbecue rather than use electricity. The children "find it hard".
"Doris has had four colds this winter. She's been off school for three or four days, sometimes all week," he said. "She doesn't like being outside in the winter having a feed."
An older daughter, aged 16, has had rheumatic fever.
Otago researcher Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman said cold, damp, overcrowded houses were largely responsible for New Zealand's Third World rates of rheumatic fever and other childhood diseases.
She said prepaid meters could be part of the solution if they offered cheaper power, but a Consumer NZ survey in May found they cost typical households between 3 and 38 per cent more than monthly billing.
Mercury's Glo-bug system cost 6.2 per cent more than monthly billing because customers on it pay the full standard rates for power and cannot get a discount for prompt payment.
They also pay 65c every time they top up credit at local shops plus 50c to text the company to say they have topped up if they need to be reconnected.
Mr Tangiwai has to use a neighbour's phone to notify Mercury when he has topped up after a disconnection.
Mercury has 17,000 customers on its Glo-bug system in Auckland.
- Simon Collins of the NZ Herald
