HEAT PUMPS

Worldwide, residential buildings account for more than 10% of global CO2e.

In Nanaimo, 16% of our CO2e emissions come from residential buildings, with almost all of this coming from those households that use oil or gas as a heating source. Changing to electric heating is one of the biggest climate-saving actions a household can take.

It’s also important to note that in BC, all of our electric power comes from renewable hydro that produces no ongoing CO2es. This means that whether you use electric baseboards or an electric heat pump, your CO2e emissions are the same (zero). However, we strongly recommend heat pumps for four reasons:

  1. While baseboards are 100% efficient (this means you get 1 unit of heat for every 1 unit of power used), heat pumps are 200-350% efficient depending on the unit and the outside temperature (this means you get 2-3.5 units of heat for each 1 unit of power used). 

  2. Heat pumps can be used as air conditioners for cooling in the summer. 

  3. There are large rebates available for heat pumps from the provincial and federal governments, as well as some municipalities. If you currently use oil or gas as your heat source, you may be eligible for up to $11,000 in rebates available for a new heat pump. 

  4. If you’re worried about the cost of a heat pump, including the rebates, the federal government is offering up to $40,000 per house for upgrades at 0% interest for a 10 year loan. 

Making your home more energy efficient through actions like improved windows or insulation is worthwhile and can be a real money saver long term, but nothing is more impactful for our climate on the home front than switching from fossil fuel heating to electric heating. 

Here’s the math for switching from a fossil fuels to an electric heat pump:

  • In BC, the average house heated by natural gas uses 74 gigajoules (GJ) of energy.

  • One GJ of natural gas produces 53 kg CO2e.

  • 74 GJ x 53 kg CO2e = 3922 kg CO2e per house per year

Rebate and Loan Sources: 

https://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/residential/rebates-programs/home-renovation/renovating-heating-system.html
https://betterhomesbc.ca/rebates/central-ducted-heat-pump-rebate/
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/canada-greener-homes-loan/24286

Sources:

https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-sector
https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-commodities/natural-gas/report/canadian-residential-natural-gasbill/index.html
https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php