A typical household in Cyprus is estimated to have spent nearly 1.500 euro on its energy needs in 2009, according to the Statistical Service. On the basis of the results of an ad hoc survey carried out by the Statistical Service in 2009, a typical household in Cyprus is estimated to consume for its total energy needs a quantity of 1.142 kgoe (kilograms of oil equivalent) and to spend an amount of 1.374 euro.
According to the survey, published today, energy consumption is allocated to end use categories as follows: 44,8% for space heating, 5,7% for water heating, 8,3% for space cooling, 14,0% for cooking and 27,2% for electrical appliances and lighting. In particular, a typical household annually consumes 6.288 KWh of electricity, 355 litres of heating oil, 44 litres of kerosene, 125kg of liquefied petroleum gas, 244kg of biomass (e.g. wood) and 48kg of charcoal.
Nearly all households (98,4%) use some kind of equipment/system for heating part of their residence during the cold period of the year. The majority of the households uses portable heaters as the main equipment for space heating (39,3%), while a notable proportion is equipped with a central heating system (29,2%) and air conditioning split units (16,9%). The use of fireplaces (7,3%), Electricity Authority of Cyprus storage heaters (4,8%) and stoves or other equipment (0,9%) is less frequent.
The grand majority of households (68%) operate their main space heating equipment for 3 to 4 months per year, while a proportion of 46,2% uses their heating equipment for 3 to 5 hours a day.
The percentage of households that use air conditioning for space cooling during the hot period of the year is also quite high (80,8%). The annual energy consumption of a typical household for space cooling is 1.107 KWh of electricity, while the average installed capacity of air conditioning units per household is of the order of 32.300Btu (or 9,47 KW).
Most of the households (91,6%) have solar heaters installed for their water heating needs, while a notable proportion of 29,3% use their central heating system also for water heating. The use of continuous flow water heaters and stand alone – not solar – water heaters with a storage tank is far less frequent (used only by 11,6% and 4,6% of households respectively).
The households’ energy needs for cooking purposes proved to be particularly high. The annual energy consumption of a typical household for cooking comprises on average 554 KWh of electricity, 67kg of liquefied petroleum gas, 11kg of wood and 48kg of charcoal.
As regards electricity consumption for the operation of electrical appliances and lighting, it is estimated that a typical household consumes annually 3.603 KWh. On average, appliances being more intensely used on a weekly basis are television sets (46 hours), computers (31 hours) and clothes washing machines (7 hours of weekly use).
The use of renewable energy sources and the use of heat insulation measures in residences are very limited. Beyond the extensive use of solar panels for water heating purposes (91,6% of households), the penetration of other renewable installations (e.g. photovoltaic panels) is extremely limited.
The survey on ''Final Energy Consumption in Households'' was carried out by the Statistical Service for the first time and was addressed to 3300 households, whose residents had their permanent or usual residence in Cyprus, irrespective of their citizenship or country of origin.
The survey covered all administrative districts and areas (urban and rural) of the country and was representative of the population structure.
The survey was partly financed by the European Commission.