Administered on behalf of the DCC by Anglican Family Care, the fund provides one-off grants of up to $200 to Dunedin residents in need.
About 700 people access the fund each year, with grant applications referred through the city's social agencies, including AFC, Catholic Social Services, the Corpac Trust, Dunedin Budget Advisory Service, Presbyterian Support Otago Family Works and the Salvation Army.
Consumer Electricity Fund co-ordinator Cheryl Inwood, an AFC budget adviser, said many Dunedin residents were now being hit with high winter power bills. For a family of four, this generally meant a bill of about $350 a month.
''This is a big jump on a summer power bill and, with the cost of everything else going up as well, it is hard to find that extra money in the budget,'' Ms Inwood said.
In addition, people who had been unable to meet their power bills fully for the past few months were presenting with bills of up to $1000. This was becoming increasingly common, she said.
''If people can't meet their full power bill, then it doesn't take very long to add up.
''Unfortunately, a $200 grant is just a drop in the bucket of a bill like that.''
In the warmer months, she generally dealt with about a dozen applications to the fund each week, but that had jumped to about 30 applications a week, she said.
''There has definitely been a three-fold increase in demand, and we are expecting that to continue while the big winter bills come in.
''The best advice I can give people is not to wait until it's too late to try and get help.''
The DCC Consumer Electricity Fund has been allocated $150,000 for distribution in the coming year. In previous years, the fund has received $200,000, but $50,000 has been diverted this year to the Cosy Homes Initiative to support insulation and clean heating for Dunedin homes.
