INTRODUCTION
1 This publication contains results from the Domestic Use of Water and Energy Survey, SA, which was conducted throughout SA during the two weeks commencing Monday, 11 October 2004.
2 The survey was conducted as a supplement to the ABS Monthly Population Survey (MPS). The MPS is based on a multistage area sample of private dwellings and a list sample of special dwellings (hotels, motels, hospitals, prisons, short-stay caravan parks, etc.). Information is obtained from the occupants of the selected dwellings by specially trained interviewers. For details of the design, scope and coverage of the MPS, users should refer to any recent edition of the ABS publication, Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) or the November 2002 edition of Information Paper: Labour Force Survey Sample Design (cat. no. 6269.0).
SCOPE
3 The Domestic Use of Water and Energy Survey, SA was conducted on a subset of the full sample of private dwellings in SA that were included in the MPS. The survey covered all persons who were usual residents of private dwellings except:
- members of the Australian permanent defence forces
- certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, customarily excluded from censuses and surveys
- overseas residents in Australia
- members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependents) stationed in Australia
- persons living in sparsely settled areas of SA.
4 Information was collected by either face to face or telephone interview from one responsible adult per household, who answered questions on behalf of the household. Information was sought from approximately 3,400 households and data were obtained from approximately 91% of these households.
COVERAGE
5 Coverage rules were applied to ensure that each person was associated with only one dwelling and hence had only one chance of selection in the survey.
INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS
6 The factors discussed below should be considered when interpreting the estimates contained in this publication.
7 Respondents were asked if the washing machine in their dwelling was a top loading automatic. Those who answered "no" were then asked if it was a front loading automatic. If respondents volunteered they did not have a washing machine this was recorded. However, other respondents who reported not having a top loading automatic nor a front loading automatic may not have had a washing machine or may have had another type of washing machine such as a twin tub or wringer.
8 The number of air conditioners used may be underestimated because the wording of the questions about the number of air conditioners used in a household varied slightly and depended on the type of heating used most often. Respondents who stated that the type of heating used most often was a reverse cycle air conditioner were asked, "Including the reverse cycle air conditioner used for heating, how many air conditioners does the household use?". Otherwise respondents were asked "How many air conditioners does the household use?". Some respondents, whose main type of heating was not a reverse cycle air conditioner, may have used a reverse cycle air conditioner as a supplementary heater, but it is possible that these respondents may not have included the reverse cycle air conditioner when asked the number of air conditioners the household uses.
9 Data were collected on the location of air conditioners used most often in households. A majority of respondents who stated that the type of heating used most often was a reverse cycle air conditioner also stated that this was the only air conditioner used or, if they had more than one air conditioner, it was the air conditioner they used most often. A small proportion of respondents (representing 0.5% of the household population) reported that the air conditioner used most often was an air conditioner other than the reverse cycle air conditioner used as the main type of heating. These respondents were asked the location of the air conditioner used most often and were not asked the location of the reverse cycle air conditioner used as the main type of heating. Therefore, in the tables on the main type of heater (tables 3.5 and 3.6), the data on total reverse cycle air conditioners include reverse cycle air conditioners where the location is not known by the ABS.
EFFECTS OF ROUNDING
10 Estimates in this publication have been rounded and discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
11 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated. Without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act, 1905.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
12 The ABS produces a wide range of publications concerning social and environmental statistics. Users may wish to refer to the following ABS publications which relate to the survey topic:
Domestic Water Use, New South Wales, October 2002, cat. no. 4616.1
Domestic Water Use, Western Australia, October 2003, cat. no. 4616.5.55.001
Environment by Numbers: Selected Articles on Australia's Environment, 2003, cat. no. 4617.0
Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices, Australia, 1992 to 2004 issues, cat. no. 4602.0
Water Account, Australia, 2000-01, cat. no. 4610.0
13 Current publications and other products released by the ABS are listed in the Catalogue of Publications and Products (cat. no. 1101.0). The Catalogue is available from any ABS office or the ABS web site <https://www.abs.gov.au>. The ABS also updates daily a Release Advice on the web site which details products to be released in the week ahead.
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