4656.5 - Household Choices Related to Water and Energy, WA, October 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/06/2010   
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GLOSSARY

Air conditioner

An apparatus for controlling the temperature of an enclosed space. It can be portable or fixed into the structure of the dwelling, usually in the wall or ceiling.

Bore water

See 'garden bore'.

Bottled gas

Gas provided in a large bottle or canister which is located near the house. A gas retailer may remove empty canisters and replace them with new ones.

Cathode ray tube (CRT) television

A television that uses a vacuum tubecontaining an electron gun and a fluorescent screen to create images in the form of light emitted from the fluorescent screen.

Couple only household

A couple relationship is defined as two people usually residing in the same household who share a social, economic and emotional bond usually associated with marriage and who consider their relationship to be a marriage or marriage-like union. This relationship is identified by the presence of a registered marriage or de facto marriage.

Couple with dependent children only household

A couple family with dependent children only. These children are either aged under 15 years or are 15-24 year old full-time students living in the same usual residence as his or her natural, step, foster or adoptive parents.

Dual flush toilet

A toilet that allows the volume in the cistern to be half or fully flushed. It may have two separate buttons, or one button or lever that is pushed down for full flush and up for half flush.

Ducted air conditioner

A ducted air conditioner is one where air is piped from a single source through the dwelling to more than one outlet.

Evaporative air conditioner

An air conditioner that draws outdoor air through a water filtration system whereby some heat from the air is absorbed through water evaporation. The air is cooled and filtered as it passes through moistened pads.

Front loading washing machine

An automatic washing machine that is loaded from the front and uses less water than top loading washing machine.

Garden bore

A pump or windmill that brings ground water to the surface. Households can access bore water from a single household bore (used by one household only) or as a shared bore (used by more than one households or adjoining properties).

Gardens or lawns

Private gardens or lawns attached to a dwelling (excluding flats, units, apartments etc.).

Gas heater

Heaters that use gas for heating. These heaters may also need electricity to ignite or start the appliance.

Grey water

See 'recycled or re-used water'.

Gross annual household income

The sum of all income sources before income tax and the Medicare levy have been deducted for all members of the household over a 12 month period. For this survey, between September 2008 and October 2009.

Hot water system

A device used for heating water in a dwelling. Such devices include instantaneous hot water systems, solar hot water systems and storage hot water systems. Each of these systems are further described in the glossary under relevant headings.

Household

A group of residents of a dwelling who share common facilities and meals or who consider themselves to be a household. It is possible for a dwelling to contain more than one household, for example, where regular provision is made for groups to take meals separately and where persons consider their household to be separate.

Household size

The number of children in the household plus the number of adults in scope of the Labour Force Survey.

Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD)

A general socio-economic index that was created using measures of relative disadvantage (similar to those used in the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage), as well as measures of relative advantage. It summarises information about the economic and social resources of people and households within an area, however includes both relative advantage and disadvantage measures.

Further detail is available from ABS Information Paper: An Introduction to Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2006 (cat. no. 2039.0).

Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD)

A general socio-economic index that summarises a range of information about the economic and social resources of people and households within an area. Unlike the other indexes, this index includes only measures of relative disadvantage. This means that, unlike the other indexes, a high score (or decile) reflects a relative lack of disadvantage rather than relative advantage.

Further detail is available from ABS Information Paper: An Introduction to Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2006 (cat. no. 2039.0).

Instantaneous hot water system

Instantaneous hot water systems heat only the water required and do not use a storage tank.

Insulation

Insulation can help keep a dwelling at a constant temperature by minimising heat transfer. There are a variety of products available, including fibreglass, rockwool and natural wool based batts. All have different acoustic and thermal insulation properties.

LCD television

Flat-panel display technology that uses rod-shaped molecules (liquid crystals) that flow like liquid and bend light.

Lone parent with dependent children household

A family consisting of a lone parent with dependent children only. These children are either aged under 15 years or are 15-24 year old full-time students living in the same usual residence as his or her natural, step, foster or adoptive parent.

Low flow shower head

A shower head that has a water efficient or low flow regulator fitted to it so as to restrict water flow.

LPG

LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) (also called LP Gas, or autogas) is the generic name for mixtures of hydrocarbon (mainly propane and butane). It is used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles, and increasingly replacing chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant to reduce damage to the ozone layer.

Mains gas

Gas connected to the household by underground pipes and provided on a continuous basis by an energy company.

Mains water supply

Water supplied to a user often through a non-natural network (piped/open channel or other carrier), and where an economic transaction has occurred for the exchange of water. Sometimes referred to as town water supply.

Normal flow shower head

A shower head that does not have a water efficient or low flow device fitted to it.

Non-metropolitan region

The Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) divides Western Australia into two Major Statistical Regions, namely Perth Major Statistical Region and the Balance of Western Australia. Non-metropolitan region is represented by the Balance of Western Australia Major Statistical Region, and can be further subdivided into two Statistical Regions, namely: Lower Western WA Statistical Region; and Remainder - Balance WA Statistical Region. For further information refer to Australian Standard Geographical Classification (cat. no. 1216.0).

Other family type households

This may include family of related individuals residing in the same household, as well as families with both dependent and non-dependent children. These individuals do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household and are not related to a couple or one parent family in the household.

Place of usual residence

See 'Region of usual residence'.

Plasma television

Flat-panel display technology that ignites small pockets of gas to light phosphors.

Portable air conditioner

A portable air conditioner can be moved around the dwelling. It is often on wheels.

Private dwelling

A dwelling that is intended to have people live in it (e.g. house, flat, unit, caravan, houseboat, tent, etc.).

Projector television

Uses a bright beam of light and a lens system to project television images to a much larger size which are then viewed by the audience.

Public transport

Public transport includes all modes of transporting people via ‘public means’. In WA these include bus, train or taxi travel.

Rain water tank plumbed into the dwelling

A tank used to store rainwater that is connected with pipes to a tap, washing machine or toilet inside the dwelling.

Recycled or re-used water

Sometimes known as ‘grey water’ or ‘dirty water’, covers a broad range of practices undertaken by households to re-use water (after it has been used once, and that would normally go down the drain but is used for another purpose) from in and around the house. Examples include using sophisticated recycled water systems, collecting water from running a shower or bath, using suds saver on washing machine, and pouring leftover water from water bottles and vases onto gardens/lawns.

Reduced flow shower head

See 'low flow' shower head.

Refrigerated air conditioner

These air conditioners cool indoor air by blowing it over a refrigeration coil and then redirecting it indoors. The refrigeration coil is cooled externally by a fan or by natural convection using outdoor air.

Region of usual residence

A person's area of usual residence as classified by the Statistical Region structure in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). The classification divides Western Australia into two Major Statistical Regions - the Perth Major Statistical Region and the Balance of WA (otherwise known as the non-metropolitan region.). Perth Major Statistical Region is further divided into Statistical Regions of Central Metropolitan, East Metropolitan, North Metropolitan, South West Metropolitan and South East Metropolitan. For further information refer to Australian Standard Geographical Classification, cat. no. 1216.0 and Information Paper: Regional Labour Force Statistics, September 1997, cat. no. 6262.0.

Reticulation system

A reticulation system provides a complete watering supply to your garden. It usually consists of a network of underground pipes connected to sprinklers.

Reverse cycle air conditioner

A reverse cycle air conditioner may also be used as a heater. The temperature is able to be varied between warm and cool settings.

Set top box

A device that converts digital TV broadcasts into a format suitable for analog TV reception. i.e., to enable digital broadcasts to be viewed on televisions without inbuilt digital characteristics (CRT and older plasma televisions).

Single flush toilet

An older style toilet that has one button or lever that flushes the full volume of the cistern.

Solar hot water system

Includes solar hot water systems that usually have boosters to heat water during periods of rain or overcast conditions, and when heavy demand exhausts the hot water supply before it can be reheated by the sun. The boosters may be of gas, electricity or some other energy source. Not all solar hot water systems have boosters.

Space cooling and heating

Relates to types of appliances and forms of energy used for dwelling heating and cooling.

See also:

      Split system air conditioner
      Reverse cycle air conditioner
      Refrigerated air conditioner
      Portable air conditioner
      Ducted air conditioner
      Evaporative air conditioner.

Split system air conditioner

A split system air conditioner is separated (but still connected by pipes or ducts) into a main unit that houses the compressor, and one or more outlets. The main unit is usually located outside the dwelling.

Storage hot water system

A storage/tank hot water system heats water and stores it in a tank until it is needed.

Surround sound system for home theatre

A sound system designed to place the listener in the centre of the sound.

Top loading washing machine

An automatic washing machine that is loaded from the top.

Water efficient shower head

See 'low flow shower head'.