Ontario is one of the provinces that creates much of its electricity from Niagara Falls, thus the term hydro is used when most others use electric to describe their bill.
Since Hydro-electric power is one of the cleanest ways to create electricity, one should not point a finger at those people who then use it to heat their homes. In other places though, where coal, etc is used to produce the electricity, point away!
Electric heat is 100 percent efficient, so 1 KW of power creates 1 KW of heat. Wood heat varies from the very inefficient fireplace (35%) efficient to the super energy efficient new wood stoves and ceramic heaters of up to 90%. The average is 65% for wood heat. Wood doctors (outdoor boilers) are a staggering 43% efficient. Just terrible!
Oil averages around 83% for a furnace or boiler with flame retention head. Propane/NG is descent at up to 90%.
The best by far are heat pumps, which do not create heat, but instead move it. Ground-sourced ones can be over 300% efficient, and our little mini-split, at optimal outdoor temps, is around 208% efficient. Think giant refrigerator.
Uno hit the nail on the head though, all of us should be living in passive homes, particularly in Canada, where much of the carbon issues are created by heating our homes. Double 2X4 construction with blown in cellulose, thus eliminating thermal bridging, or the use of foam on the interior wall would go a long way to keeping in the heat. If you don't lose it, you don't need it -bottom line. Having south facing windows with a heat sink can save 75% of a homes heating needs. While we are at it, why do we need a 5000 sf home for 2 people? Thus concludes my rant of the day!
Sorry to hijack your thread, it is just my job deals with the energy evaluation of homes! It is also something I am passionate about -can you tell?
Since Hydro-electric power is one of the cleanest ways to create electricity, one should not point a finger at those people who then use it to heat their homes. In other places though, where coal, etc is used to produce the electricity, point away!
Electric heat is 100 percent efficient, so 1 KW of power creates 1 KW of heat. Wood heat varies from the very inefficient fireplace (35%) efficient to the super energy efficient new wood stoves and ceramic heaters of up to 90%. The average is 65% for wood heat. Wood doctors (outdoor boilers) are a staggering 43% efficient. Just terrible!
Oil averages around 83% for a furnace or boiler with flame retention head. Propane/NG is descent at up to 90%.
The best by far are heat pumps, which do not create heat, but instead move it. Ground-sourced ones can be over 300% efficient, and our little mini-split, at optimal outdoor temps, is around 208% efficient. Think giant refrigerator.
Uno hit the nail on the head though, all of us should be living in passive homes, particularly in Canada, where much of the carbon issues are created by heating our homes. Double 2X4 construction with blown in cellulose, thus eliminating thermal bridging, or the use of foam on the interior wall would go a long way to keeping in the heat. If you don't lose it, you don't need it -bottom line. Having south facing windows with a heat sink can save 75% of a homes heating needs. While we are at it, why do we need a 5000 sf home for 2 people? Thus concludes my rant of the day!
Sorry to hijack your thread, it is just my job deals with the energy evaluation of homes! It is also something I am passionate about -can you tell?
