Cold hard truth: region top for turning off heating because of cost

DUNEDIN single mother Brooke Dryden goes days without heating just to get by financially each month — and she is not alone.

Otago leads the country when it comes to the switching off the heating to save money on the power bill — even when it is freezing outside.

As part of a nationwide survey of 1200 people commissioned by Credit Simple, an online credit rating company, 69% of respondents in Otago cut back on heating their homes during winter, while 55% would switch energy providers.

It was a similar situation in Southland, where the survey found 47% of people cut back on their power use, though the sample size was small.

Dozens of people responded to an Otago Daily Times post on social media yesterday asking if they cut back on heating and power use to save money during the winter.

One of those people was single mother Miss Dryden, who now goes days without any heating after receiving a $430 power bill this month.

‘‘It’s only me living at my house with my 8monthold son, so I cannot afford to pay all this.’’

Instead of using the heat pump she used blankets to keep herself and her son warm.

As the weather became colder she was worried how they would cope as she was on a fixed income.

Dunedin Budget Advisory Service executive officer Andrew Henderson said many people came to the agency after receiving an unexpectedly high power bill.

It was usual for people to cut back on their heating after the shock of a big bill but it was not practical, particularly for younger and older people, Mr Henderson said.

‘‘It’s a shock but then they often find themselves in arrears and when the next bill comes along they are still trying to pay the last one off, which just compounds the issue.’’

The advisory service administered the Dunedin consumer electricity fund on behalf of the Dunedin City Council.

The fund was set up in 1998 to help Dunedin residents with a grant towards their electricity bill.

Almost 600 residents applied for a share of the $120,000 from the fund for the year ending June 30, 2017.

Figures for this year were not available yesterday but Mr Henderson said there were 81 applications in July alone last year.

The Government’s winter energy payment scheme comes into effect on July 1 and would go some way to helping beneficiaries pay their winter power bills, he said.

Under the scheme people receiving superannuation or a main benefit will get up to an extra $31 a week, depending on their circumstances, during winter.