Improving residential energy efficiency and moving away from electric space heating:
two critical strategies for sustainable and affordable energy in New Brunswick New Brunswick has developed a strong and reliable power grid over the past century. As of 2006, New Brunswick’s hydro, nuclear and thermal power plants have the capacity to produce 3,950 megawatts (MW), comfortably meeting the province’s summer needs. But there’s a problem on the horizon – it’s called the “winter peak” electricity demand. What is “winter peak”? Like most other Canadian provinces, New Brunswick’s highest demand for electricity happens on the coldest days of winter. This peak load is almost entirely due to electric space heating, much of it residential. More than 60% of New Brunswick homes are heated by electricity – the highest of any province except Quebec. Moreover, more than 85% of new homes built today are heated by electric baseboards, further adding to the peak load. It is estimated that New Brunswick’s winter peak load is 50% higher than its average load outside the heating season – an increase of about 1,400 MW, or more than twice the output of the Mactaquac hydro dam at full power. Top Why is winter peak a problem? Winter peak is a problem because: - It is our most expensive power to generate. NB’s low-cost power plants are used to generate power for year-round loads like lighting, hot water, appliances and industry. However, during the heating season, our utility is forced to start up high-cost power plants that run on oil and coal. Rising fuel prices make this ‘top-up’ power more expensive to generate. Since NB power plants are taxpayer owned, expensive peak power costs everyone.
- It’s more harmful to the environment. Because winter peak power is generated from oil and coal, it results in the production of large amounts of greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change.
- It requires us to build expensive new power plants. As winter peak loads increase, so will the need for new power plants. A large, modern power plant can cost $1 billion or more. The sooner we need to build it, the sooner we will face a massive capital cost that must be paid through higher power rates. Every year we can put off building a new plant means millions of dollars' worth of interest savings.
- It is our most expensive power to buy. During our winter peak, buying power from neighbouring provinces and states is an option. However, because everyone else needs it at the same time we do, this power tends to be very expensive.
In short, New Brunswick’s winter peak load is costly for everyone, and reducing it will save everyone money through reduced future rate increases. Top How can New Brunswick reduce its winter peak load? One of the best ways to reduce our winter peak load is to reduce the demand for electric space heating. Residential power accounts for over a third of all power used in NB, and much of this is used for space heating in winter months. If all homes in the province were energy efficient and/or were heated non-electrically, we would have a small and manageable winter peak. Although fuel conversion in existing homes is possible, our best opportunity lies in ensuring that all new homes built are very energy efficient and, preferably, heated non-electrically. Top How can energy efficient homes help reduce winter peak? According to a 2006 study1, an energy-efficient new home (such as an EnerGuide 80 or an R-2000) uses 40% less power than the average new home built today in New Brunswick. Virtually all of these savings come from improved insulation and air tightness. If every new home were built for energy efficiency, it would help lower our future winter peak load significantly, and save New Brunswickers money. Top Why is non-electric space heating preferable to electric? Homes that are heated non-electrically add no burden to our winter peak. They consume a relatively constant amount of power year round for lighting, appliances and hot water, and this constant power is much less expensive to supply. A non-electrically heated energy-efficient new home (such as an EnerGuide 80 or an R-2000) uses about 60% less power than the average electrically heated new home built today in New Brunswick. Top Baseboard heaters are of particular concern Despite of being the typical heating system chosen in new homes, electric baseboard heaters are of special concern: - They are full contributors to our winter peak load problem;
- Because they are not convertible to any other system or fuel source, they virtually lock a homeowner into electric heat for the life of the home. If market prices were to shift, a homeowner wanting to switch away from baseboards would need to install an entirely new heating system at considerable cost.
Conversely, central heating systems such as boilers, furnaces and heat pumps are convertible from one fuel source to another. Top Isn’t electricity the clean, efficient and environmentally friendly way to heat? In fact, electricity is one of the least efficient and least environmentally friendly heating options a homeowner can choose. Because of losses at the power plant and in power lines, electricity for space heating is only 30% efficient once delivered to a customer’s power meter. In comparison, natural gas, oil and geothermal heating systems are typically two or more times as efficient. As well, power generation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Brunswick. Over half of our power is generated from oil and coal, producing more than 8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. On average, an electrically heated home produces twice as much greenhouse gas as a comparable home heated with oil or natural gas. Top Efficiency: the best answer Improved energy efficiency is the best solution for our environment and for a reliable, affordable future power supply. Experience has proven that large-scale efficiency is not only possible, it’s a good investment too. Through improved efficiency, the State of Vermont expects to offset 10% of its total power needs by 2012, and energy-saving measures implemented so far have easily paid for themselves through ongoing savings. A New Brunswick study shows that residential energy consumption in this province could be reduced by 37% through efficiency – representing a saving of millions of dollars of imported energy annually. Additionally, better efficiency will mean a more secure fuel supply, plus economic development through a growing energy efficiency industry. For New Brunswick, energy efficiency is the answer– and it makes good business sense for everyone! 1Study on energy use of NB homes conducted for Natural Resources Canada by
J. Waugh, 2006 Top
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