A TYPICAL household in Cyprus is estimated to have spent nearly €1,500 on its energy needs in 2009, according to the Statistical Service.
An ad hoc survey shows that a typical household in Cyprus is estimated to consume 1,142kgoe (kg of oil equivalent) and to spend an amount of €1.374.
Some 44.8 of consumption went on heating, 8.3 per cent on cooling, 5.7 per cent on water heating, 14.0 per cent on cooking and 27.2 per cent on electrical appliances and lighting.
A typical household annually consumes 6,288KWh (Kilowatt-hour) of electricity.
A KWh refers to the use of electrical appliances that use 1000 watts over an hour of time.
A device using 100 watts running for 10 hours equals 1KWh.
A typical household also annually consumes 355 litres of heating oil, 44 litres of kerosene, 125kg of liquefied petroleum gas, 244kg of biomass such as wood, and 48kg of charcoal.
Nearly all households (98.4 per cent) use some kind of equipment/system for heating part of their residence during the winter. The majority of households use portable heaters (39.3 per cent), while 29.2 per cent use central heating, and 16.9 per cent air conditioning split units for heating.
Just over 7.0 per cent have open fires and 4.8 per cent EAC storage heaters.
The vast majority use heating only three to four months per year, on average for three to five hours a day.
Over 80 per cent use air conditioning for cooling while 1,107KWh per household is used for this purpose
Most households (91.6 per cent) have solar heaters installed for their water heating needs.
Households’ energy needs for cooking proved to be particularly high. The annual energy consumption of a typical household for cooking comprises on average 554KWh, 67kg of liquefied petroleum gas, 11kg of wood and 48kg of charcoal.
A typical household annually consumes 3,603KWh on other appliances. This includes running a television for 46 hours) a week, computers 31 hours and washing machines seven hours a week.
The use of renewable energy sources and heat insulation in homes is very limited beyond the use of solar panels for water heating.
The survey was carried out for the first time ever and included 3,300 households. It was carried out before the Vassilikos power plant was destroyed. From next month, electricity charges will rise.
Yesterday the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) said it was still waiting to receive financial assistance from the government – a delay which it says was aggravating their finances.
The Cabinet had pledged to allocate €49 million to cover the rent of generators which the EAC has using following the July 11 blast. The EAC’s Director General Stelios Stylianou said they were still waiting on a €5.5 million instalment.
The EAC has also taken out €60 million in short-term loans from various banks, Stylianou said.
He added that the loans were state-guaranteed with payable interest only on amounts withdrawn.
The EAC will ask parliament’s approval for the loans next week, Stylianou said. The EAC will be meeting with Vassilikos’ insurers mid-month.
Stylianou refused to disclose the amount discussed saying that restoration was progressive, repairing each part individually and then proceeding to examine what else needed to be done.
The estimated damage to Vassilikos is between €300 and €700 million, according to the EU experts who visited the plant after Mari.
The new electricity bills, at an increased 6.96 per cent from previous ones, will start being paid next month, Stylianou said. “Those cover only the additional fuel costs,” Stylianou said.
