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This FACT indicates the percentage of households that actively try to limit their electricity use (2010). One example of a measure used by households to reduce energy consumption is installing insulation. Over 61 per cent of households across capital cities reported their dwellings had insulation in 2008, however figures varied greatly between the cities. Motivation to limit electricity use comes from both rising electricity prices and a greater environmental awareness.
A gigawatt hour is a unit of electrical energy equal to one billion(109 watt hours, one thousand megawatt hours, 3.6 terajoules, or 3.41 billion British thermal units (Btu).
The issue is also closely related to debates surrounding environmental sustainability, including reducing carbon emissions, which is a hot topic in Australian federal politics, especially since the introduction of a 'carbon tax'.
The city with households that are most actively trying to limit their electricity use is Adelaide, with 89 percent. The city with the least is Hobart at 83.9 percent. (Data for Canberra and Darwin could not be obtained). Overall, a large percentage of households across each of the cities claimed to make a conscious effort to reduce their consumption levels