MEDIA RELEASE	10/2016
9 February 2016	Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)

Australian households spend $47 billion on energy, including $16 billion on electricity and $25 billion on petroleum products such as petrol and diesel, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

"Between 2008-09 and 2013-14 Australian households spent more on energy than either mining, manufacturing or service industries did," said Steven May, ABS Director of the Centre of Environment Statistics.

"Average energy use by households has decreased over the same time by 1 per cent.

"More productive use of energy is also occurring across the board with industry.

"Energy intensity (the energy consumed to produce one unit of economic output) has levelled off after four years of decreases.

"Decreases in manufacturing, transport and mining were offset by increases in agriculture, construction and services.

"Total renewable energy sources are still quite small at 2 per cent of total supply, although these were increasing rapidly between 2012-13 and 2013-14.

"In terms of our energy assets, we have approximately 660 years of brown coal, 230 years of uranium and 10 years of crude oil left under current production capacity. This of course doesn't take into account new discoveries," said Mr May.

Today's figures are part of the ABS environmental accounts program which produces integrated energy supply and use tables in physical and monetary terms. The program is also used in the production of the Australian National Accounts.

Further details can be found in Energy Accounts Australia 2013-14 (cat no. 4604.0).

Media notes:

• When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
• Media requests and interviews - contact the ABS Communications Section on 1300 175 070 (between 8.30am and 5pm, Mon-Fri).