Speaking Sensis

Yellow Pages® data shows the recent cold snap that has hit southern Australia has people rushing to install, purchase and repair heating systems in record numbers.

The number of people searching Yellow Pages® for plumbers and gasfitters, heating appliances and systems, heating repairs and service and firewood hit an all-time high last month.

Seasonally, heating related searches on yellowpages.com.au are at their peak in June. But this year, the sudden drop in temperatures has seen the numbers of searches in some categories more than triple last year’s the monthly average.

In June, searches on yellowpages.com.au in New South Wales for heating appliances and systems were up 200 per cent, searches for heating appliances and systems-repairs and service were up 216 per cent and searches for firewood were up 225 per cent, when compared to the monthly average for 2009.

Similarly, in Victoria, all time highs were experienced with a 95 per cent increase in searches for heating appliances and systems, a 234 per cent increase in searches for heating appliances and systems-repairs and service and a 262 increase in searches for firewood.

South Australian residents haven’t been spared from the cold. yellowpages.com.au recorded a 260 per cent increase in searches for heating appliances and systems, a 257 per cent increase in heating appliances and systems-repairs and service and a 247 increase in searches for firewood, when compared to the monthly average for 2009.

Even Western Australians have felt the chill with searches for heating appliances and systems up 203 per cent, heating appliances and systems-repairs and service searches were up 209 per cent and searches for firewood were up 232 per cent, when compared to the monthly average for 2009.

With the weather warming marginally over the weekend, Australians still have another 8.5 weeks of winter to go.

However, the search traffic to yellowpages.com.au indicates that should the mercury fail to rise over July and August, a good number of households in the south-east of the country will be ready!

Over 4.5 million people make over 13 million searches using the Yellow Pages® Book, yellowpages.com.au and Yellow Pages® Mobile each week.*

* Roy Morgan, Single Source Australia, 14 years and above, last 7 day average, July 2008 – June 2009