Power savings up but cold showers looming

2.30pm

Electricity savings jumped to 4.5 per cent yesterday but consumers are being warned cold showers are still likely soon.

Winter Power Taskforce head Patrick Strange said today the country needed 10 per cent savings.

"There is no doubt if we do not get up near 10 per cent, or we don't get major rainfall which we can't count on we will have to go to hot water cuts."

Electricity savings jumped to 4.5 per cent yesterday, from 4.1 per cent on the two previous days.

Yesterday's jump was the most encouraging sign so far that people were heeding the message to save power, the taskforce said today.

The 4.5 per cent savings were the highest achieved by the country since the campaign began.

Measures introduced across national operations by several major businesses would be starting to contribute, the taskforce said.

But hydro lake levels were still of major concern, back to 64 per cent of where they should be for this time of the year.

"The recent inflows provided a few days' reprieve, but the levels are now back to where they were prior to the rain, and they are going lower each day," Dr Strange said.

Yesterday National Party energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee suggested to Parliament consumers needed a "short, sharp shock and a few cold showers to get them to save power".

Dr Strange said the cuts, which would be nationwide, would be made "with great reluctance" as it affected everybody -- including those making the savings.

Conservation measures put in place during the last power crisis were kept in place by many businesses which made saving harder, he said.

Dr Strange said he had hoped for higher savings after a energy-saving advertising campaign was launched at the weekend.

"I am disappointed at the moment we haven't got more, but we have got a way to go."

Dr Strange said calls for the public not to save were disappointing and irresponsible.

"What is disappointing at the moment is we have got some media commentators saying let's not save to teach the Government a lesson."

Meanwhile New Zealand's industrial and commercial sectors have lost sales of $20.6 million because of the ongoing crisis, the Major Electricity Users Group (MEUG) said yesterday.

MEUG executive director Ralph Matthes said the lost sales were caused by "forced demand reductions" totalling 90,000 MWh since March 1 this year.

MEUG members use about 33 per cent of New Zealand's electricity. They include Comalco, Carter Holt Harvey and Fletcher Building, which have made significant cuts to production to curb the amount of power they are buying on the spot market.

In addition Mr Matthes said businesses that were obliged to continue supplying products and services to consumers had paid at least $14.2 million above the unit price paid by households for their power.

Mr Matthes said the figures were arrived at from MEUG's weekly survey of its members "and an increasing number of medium and small enterprises affected by the crisis".

Different regions were saving varying amounts.

The Nelson area achieved only 1.6 per cent savings during the past week.

Herald Feature: Electricity

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- NZPA