Energy use in the average Canadian home: 20% for electricity; 60% for winter heating; 20% for water heating; a growing amount for summer cooling.

This highlights the need for action on GreenHeat and the significant benefits

  • Many Canadians are aware of the need to reduce the carbon emissions from generating electricity that is needed to power our lights and appliances. In the average Canadian house, this 'plug load' is responsible for 20% of annual energy costs and 20% of GHG emissions. By comparison, 60% of energy is needed to heat the home in winter and another 20% to heat water throughout the year. Air conditioning for space cooling is a small (but growing) percentage of a home's total energy.
  • Much of Canada's electricity is generated from hydroelectric dams or nuclear reactors,. both of which have low carbon emissions. But most homes are heated with natural gas or oil, so the environmental 'bang for the buck' is higher from using GreenHeat technologies.

Since much of Canada's electricity is generated from hydroelectric dams or nuclear reactors (both of which have low carbon emissions) but most homes are heated with natural gas or oil, the environmental 'bang for the buck' is higher from using Green Heat technologies.

"Green Power vs. Green Fuels" vs. "Green Heat"

'Green power' is a well-known term that refers to electricity from low-emission sources, such as wind turbines or solar panels, as well as low-impact hydro, tidal flow and sustainable biomass. 'Green fuels' is used to describe the range of ethanol and biofuel blends that can displace conventional gasoline in vehicles, while reducing the carbon emissions linked with climate change. The term 'GreenHeat' refers to the rapidly-growing acceptance that space conditioning (heating and cooling a home, or heating water for its domestic consumption) is an application that can be met by low-grade thermal technologies, which offer significant reductions in carbon emissions and financial costs. The CO2 released from space conditioning all homes and commercial offices in Canada, is higher than the emissions from all coal-fired generating plants across the country, but GreenHeat receives little public or political attention. This site is designed to raise awareness of the potential for GreenHeat technologies, as an economic and an environmental solution in Canada.

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