New Zealanders are using less electricity, according to new figures, which show that average energy consumption has dropped by almost 5 percent.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The new figures - from the latest New Zealand Energy Quarterly, which is issued by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment - show average electricity consumption in the residential sector fell 4.5 percent in the September quarter, compared with a year earlier.
There were also falls in the agricultural, forestry, fishing, commercial and industrials sectors.
The total amount of electricity generated also fell, mainly pushed by a massive 24.7 percent fall in fossil fuel generation, compared with a year earlier.
This helped give the electricity sector its second lowest level of September quarterly carbon dioxide emissions on record.
Energy intensity - the amount of energy need to produce each dollar of national wealth - has been improving for years.
The latest energy figures came despite a 3.5 percent increase in economic growth, according to the latest statistics.
