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Energy Use Inside and Outside the Dwelling – 2007 Survey of Household Energy Use – Supplemental Report

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Energy use inside the dwelling

Energy consumption

Household energy consumption inside the dwelling depends on the interaction of many factors. Although these factors are difficult to isolate and study individually, it is apparent from the results of SHEU-2007 that the impacts of some factors are more evident than others.

One such factor is the heated area of a dwelling;² a larger dwelling requires more energy for heating than a smaller dwelling. The majority of household energy consumption is for heating,³ so heated area has a significant impact on consumption inside a dwelling. The analysis below supports this observation.

Natural gas furnace efficiency

An additional factor that influences a household’s was evident: Households that used a high-efficiency energy consumption is the efficiency of the main furnace consumed less natural gas per household than heating equipment. This is evident when examining those that used a medium- or low-efficiency furnace. the impact of the efficiency of natural gas furnaces on household natural gas consumption (see Figure 1).

Among households with 56–93 square metres () (601–1000 square feet [sq. ft.]) of heated area that used a natural gas furnace, natural gas consumption per household was lowest when the household used a high-efficiency furnace (76 GJ per household) compared with households that used a medium-efficiency furnace (77 GJ) or a low-efficiency furnace (89 GJ). Moreover, in each successive heated area category, the same trend was evident: Households that used a high-efficiency furnace consumed less natural gas per household than those that used a medium- or low-efficiency furnace.

What is a gigajoule?

A gigajoule (GJ) is a common unit used to measure energy consumption. One GJ is approximately equivalent to the energy consumed by
  • ten 60-watt light bulbs used for eight hours a day for two months
  • the average Canadian personal motor vehicle in 5.5 days
  • the average digital television used in Canadian households in a year
  • the average Canadian household (excluding transportation and gas-powered equipment requirements) in 3.5 days

Figure 1. Natural gas consumption by furnace efficiency among households with a natural gas furnace, by heated area, 2007.

Note: Results from households with a heated area of 56 (600 sq. ft.) or less are excluded from the analysis because the estimates are too unreliable to be published.

However, natural gas consumption per household increased as heated area increased – regardless of the use of a high-efficiency furnace. For example, among households that used a high-efficiency natural gas furnace, households with 56–93 (601–1000 sq. ft.) of heated area consumed 76 GJ of natural gas per household, while households with 93–139 (1001–1500 sq. ft.) of heated area consumed 82 GJ. This trend of increased natural gas consumption continued for each successive heated area category, reaching 122 GJ among households with 232 (2501 sq. ft.) or more of heated area.

Age of the majority of windows

Another factor that impacts household energy consumption is the dwelling’s windows. Windows can be responsible for heat loss and air drafts that can result in high energy consumption. SHEU-2007 found that the age of the majority of windows of a dwelling had an impact on household energy consumption.

As shown in Figure 2, among households that used electricity as their main energy source, households that had windows that were 10 years old or less consumed less electricity than those with windows 11 years old or more – in each heated area category. Also, the difference in electricity consumption within a heated area category based on the age of windows was larger with each successively larger heated area category except for the largest heated area category.

Figure 2. Electricity consumption among households using electricity as main energy source by age of the majority of windows, by heated area, 2007.

Note: Results from households with a heated area of 56 (600 sq. ft.) or less are excluded from the analysis because the estimates are too unreliable to be published.

Similar results are evident when examining households that used natural gas as their main energy source (see Figure 3). Among households that had windows 10 years old or less, natural gas consumption per household was lower for each heated area category – except for the largest heated area category. The observed influence of the age of windows on household energy consumption could be attributed to the newer windows having better energy performance characteristics and being less likely to have deteriorated.

Newer windows appear to aid the energy efficiency of a household. However, in general, the energy consumption per household increased with each successive heated area category regardless of the age of the majority of windows (see Figures 2 and 3).

Figure 3. Natural gas consumption among households using natural gas as main energy source by age of the majority of windows, by heated area, 2007.

Note: Results from households with a heated area of 56 (600 sq. ft.) or less are excluded from the analysis due to the estimates being too unreliable to be published.

Additionally, as seen when comparing Figures 2 and 3, the energy consumption of households with similar heated areas differs according to the household’s main energy source. Households that primarily used electricity consumed less energy than those that primarily used natural gas. This comparison suggests that households that used electricity as their main energy source were more energy-efficient than those that used natural gas, but this is not necessarily the case. There are inherent differences among energy sources, such as combustible fuels (natural gas, heating oil, wood and propane) and electricity. The differences are where energy losses occur during the consumption of each energy source. For combustible fuels, combustion losses occur in the dwelling and vary depending on the fuel and technology used. For electricity, losses occur during the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, not in the dwelling. Therefore, the energy consumption of households using combustible fuels for heating includes combustion losses that occurred in the dwelling. Conversely, the energy consumption of households using electricity for heating does not account for conversion losses that occurred at the power plant.

Additional factors

While the analysis presented in Figures 1 through 3 revealed that energy consumption was influenced by the heated area of the dwelling, energy sources used, furnace efficiency and age of the windows, other factors also influenced the results. These factors include the year of dwelling construction, levels of insulation, conditions and characteristics of the thermal envelope,4 and household behaviour (see Dwelling temperature, page 7).

For further details and analysis on the influence of these factors on household energy consumption and efficiency, see the SHEU-2007 Summary Report.5

2 Natural Resources Canada, Office of Energy Efficiency, SHEU-2007 Summary Report, page 14, Table 10.
3 Sixty-two percent of household energy consumption is used for space heating, according to Natural Resources Canada, Office of Energy Efficiency, Energy Use Data Handbook, 1990 to 2007.
4 Thermal envelope is the facing materials that form the shell of a building, including walls, ceilings, the roof, basement walls, windows and doors.
5 oee.nrcan.gc.ca/Publications/statistics/sheu-summary07/stock-dwellings.cfm

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