Maria Callau, a masters student in the university's energy management programme, has devised a website full of helpful information on improving the efficiency of New Zealand homes.
As well as profiling products such as insulation, space heating, solar heating, double glazing and energy-efficient light bulbs, the Home Energy website www.physics.otago.ac.nz/eman/hew offers users a free software programme which enables users to enter data for their own homes and estimate the cost-benefits of improving its energy efficiency.
It also lists relatively low-cost ways home owners, landlords and tenants can increase the warmth of their homes.
Mrs Callau has been working on the project for six months with the help of a $30,000 grant from the National Energy Research Institute.
She said although there was still some "tweaking" to be done to the site before its official launch later this month, she was pleased with the way it looked and its content.
"There is a lot of information there."
Her tutor, energy management programme director Associate Prof Bob Lloyd, said he hoped the website would be well used.
While there were other websites which offered advice on energy efficiency, the Home Energy site was the most comprehensive, and the only one to offer the modelling software programme.
"Anything which gets people thinking about energy consumption in their homes is good," he said.
Staying warm in winter is an increasing problem for many New Zealanders, Prof Lloyd has found.
His research shows an estimated 46% of Dunedin households are suffering from "fuel poverty" - a term used when households spend more than 10% of their income on fuel.
Prof Lloyd said people were surprised when they learnt it would cost $5000 a year to adequately heat a small 100sq m uninsulated house to the recommended winter evening temperature of 21decC.
Installing insulation or more efficient space heating systems was worthwhile, he said.
"It doesn't take too long before those measures pay for themselves with warmer homes and reduced energy bills."
