Power bills burden Australian households

Over 80 percent of households in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, have changed their lifestyle to reduce electricity bills amid soaring prices, a survey found on Tuesday.

The Daily Telegraph, an Australian newspaper published in Sydney and New South Wales, revealed its Cost of Living Survey on Tuesday, which found 12 percent of people don't have enough money to pay household bills and a further 24 percent are barely making enough money to feed their families.

Over the past year, 55 percent of the 1,350 respondents have used heaters less and nearly half have cut their use of air- conditioning.

The survey showed almost one quarter of households returned to washing dishes by hand.

The survey also revealed five in six families have altered the way they live to reduce household expenses.

Source: Xinhua