The New Zealand Energy Use Survey (NZEUS) collects information about the types and amount of energy commodities used in different industries of the New Zealand economy. Examples include the amount of electricity used in mining, or the quantity of coal used in the manufacturing industry.
Energy has become a very important issue in the last few years. As a result, demand for accurate energy use information has also increased dramatically. Statistics New Zealand is collecting this information to inform New Zealand businesses, the public, and government on energy use.
The survey was started in 2009. That year the primary sector (eg farming, forestry, mining) was surveyed to obtain accurate energy use data. In 2010 the industrial and trade (eg manufacturing, construction, transport) sectors were surveyed, followed by the services sector (eg IT, rental services, education) in 2011. This completed the first cycle through the entire economy (excluding residential energy use). The cycle was restarted in 2012, and is expected to continue in a similar fashion.
No. The survey aims to inform a significant gap in the available information, and the development of the ETS did not instigate this survey.
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This project will collect information across the whole economy over three years. This year we want to collect information from the wide range of primary industries in New Zealand. For this, we need to get a representative selection of all the businesses in these industries to develop a good understanding. Your business is one of approximately 4,000 randomly selected organisations that have been sent this survey in order to get a full picture of industries such as the one you are involved in.
Yes, respondents have to complete the questionnaire. The Statistics Act 1975 gives Statistics New Zealand the right to request information from any person in a position to provide it, to enable the production of official statistics.
Individual company data is not published; data is only shown in aggregated form. Individual businesses will not be identified. Your information will be combined with similar information from other respondents to prepare summary statistics on energy use by the whole industry.
Results of the next survey will be available in October 2012 on the New Zealand Energy Use Survey page of the Statistics NZ website. See the Release calendar for specific details.
Results will be aggregated estimates of use of different energy products, for example:
Energy is becoming an increasingly important element in business decision-making, including investment and planning. Accurate information about energy use in each industry may render positive results in this decision-making process. At the same time, government is making energy-related policy addressing issues such as security of supply, energy markets, and climate change. These processes require accurate information to minimise errors and maximise benefits.
We require information for the company’s latest complete accounting year. If it is not possible to provide this information then we would like to have information for as much of the last accounting period as can be provided.
The quantity in kilowatt hours of purchased electricity can be found on your electricity bill under 'units'.
If the amount of purchased electricity is only available in dollars, please estimate the quantity based on the AVERAGE price of the electricity paid over the 12 months. Note: If the amount is provided in dollars we will not have the information to convert the dollar value to kWh.
If the amount of purchased electricity is only available for a part of the year, please estimate the quantity based on what is available. You can do this by adding the invoices from the last three months and multiplying by four to estimate a 12-month/annual amount.
While we would obviously like to know the exact kWh amount the business used, an estimate would be preferable to no data at all.
This section is intended for businesses that regularly require on-site electricity generation to operate.
This section is aimed at fuels derived from petroleum. It specifically includes petrol, diesel, fuel oil, LPG, and aviation fuel. The follow-up questions divide the usage of the fuel into some broad categories that are of great importance to our stakeholders:
For further specific detail on the breakdown please refer to table 1.
The question asks for the total use of LPG. The two options provided reflect the nature of the LPG market, as different forms of delivery have different units. Respondents should supply the one they are more comfortable with. If none of the units apply, please specify the units and we will do any conversion required.
These questions refer to the use of liquid biofuels (eg biodiesel and bioethanol), not wood or other solid wood derivatives.
This section collects information on the remaining main types of fuel, natural gas, coal, and wood, and has a space for any other special fuel that might be used by some businesses but which has not been captured elsewhere in the questionnaire.
The question asks for the total use of natural gas. The two options provided reflect the nature of the natural gas market, as different delivery companies can use different units. Respondents should supply the one they are more comfortable with. If none of the units apply, please specify the units and we will do the conversion.
There were some doubts around the units in this question and the difficulty of smaller users knowing exact amounts. If this is the case, please provide as accurate an estimate as possible. Again we would be happy for as much information as possible.
This question, if answered, should include units as well as amount of fuel used.
This section aims to better understand the areas of businesses that have potential for energy savings.
Table 1.Liquid fuels usage category examples