About the HEEP Project

The Household Energy End-Use Project (HEEP) is a long-term study with the objective to measure and model the way energy is used in New Zealand households. The envisaged model will use physical building and appliance characteristics as well as socio-demographic factors to describe the energy consumption patterns and some of the energy services, in particular the achieved indoor temperatures. The model will be used to understand current and future national household energy requirements, and as a tool to evaluate the implications of building and appliance performance changes.

HEEP commenced in 1995 with a pilot study. Data collection was completed in 2005, and from Year 9 the reports will provide regional and national statistics. Each house has been monitored for about 11 months. The final sample now includes four hundred houses from throughout New Zealand - large and small cities, urban and rural, North and South Islands from Kaikohe to Invercargill. Coverage information is available from this coverage table, extracted from the Year 7 report.

HEEP monitoring activities include a detailed occupant survey as well as a detailed house energy examination. The monitoring covers all fuel types (electricity, natural gas, LPG, solid fuel, solar water heaters) as well as temperatures in at least three locations. Further information on the types of analysis possible are covered in this Background Leaflet. (pdf file, 300 KB)

Earlier HEEP reports have been removed from download as the analysis was only for small numbers of houses. They are still available in hard copy from BRANZ, upon request.