[comment caption=Are you struggling to heat your house?]Almost half of Dunedin households are suffering from "fuel poverty" as the cost of heating a home escalates, a University of Otago academic has found.
Dr Bob Lloyd, director of the energy studies programme at the university, told a national fuel poverty workshop in Auckland this week his study of households in the major centres showed about 24% were suffering fuel poverty.
Fuel poverty was considered to exist where a household needed to spend 10% or more of its income to heat a home to recommended levels.
The figures ranged from about 18% in Auckland to 46% in Dunedin, where it was colder and incomes were lower.
Yet New Zealanders spent only about a third of what they should to bring their homes up to the recommended temperatures, Dr Lloyd told the New Zealand Herald.
Kay Saville-Smith, another speaker at the workshop, told the Otago Daily Times yesterday Dr Lloyd's findings had been backed up by another study which found about 22% of New Zealand homes were so significantly under-heated that people's health was at risk.
That study showed the average living room temperature on a winter evening was 17.8degC.
The recommended optimum for warmth and good health was 21degC.
About 22% of living rooms were colder than 16degC, the point where respiratory function could be impaired and strain was put on the heart.
Ms Saville-Smith, a research director with the Wellington-based Centre for Research Evaluation and Social Assessment, said those most affected by fuel poverty were the elderly, people on lower incomes and people in poor quality rental houses.
With the cost of all fuels rising, the situation would only get worse, she said.
However, trying to heat a home which was not adequately insulated was like "burning money".
"People whose homes are cold tend to spend money in inappropriate ways. They are trying to address the heating problem without addressing the thermal footprint of the home."
She said people would be better to draught-proof and insulate their homes first, although she acknowledged that was difficult for people in rental accommodation.
People who tried and failed to heat their homes adequately often gave up.
"The reality is they can't afford to keep it warm. Why would they bother?"
Ms Saville-Smith encouraged people to seek advice and financial assistance to try to improve their situations.
"There are a lot of government and community groups out there who can help. People should not give up."
