Dunedin has to start making healthier choices, researcher Cle-Anne Gabriel said last night.
Dr Gabriel was presenting preliminary findings from the Otago Baseline Energy Assessment, and she was speaking metaphorically.
The study has found petrol and diesel account for 54% of Dunedin's energy consumption, and for 59% of its emissions.
It also found Dunedin used 1.6 times more diesel per capita than the national average, Dr Gabriel said.
''Transport is such a big chunk of energy in Dunedin. It's a bit of a hint for focusing on transport solutions for the city.''
Other preliminary findings showed 29% of Dunedin's energy use was from electricity, and 17% was from heating fuels, including wood, liquid petroleum gas, and coal.
Dr Gabriel said the data was ''a bit sketchy'' for heating fuels, and the 17% figure might shift upwards to about 25% with better data.
The study also found pellet fire use was more prevalent in wealthier suburbs than in poorer suburbs.
Because pellet fires were less polluting than other forms of heating, Dr Gabriel said it might make sense to subsidise pellet fires as a form of heating if increased use was ''something that we'd like to see''.
Dr Gabriel's research was commissioned by the Otago Chamber of Commerce, and she presented the findings at an event organised by the chamber's energy committee last night.
Committee chairman Scott Willis said last night the study was essential to understanding the future of energy usage in Dunedin.
''Without knowing where we've come from, we can't know what we've done.''
