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Why does Quebec use more electrical power in winter if most (nearly all) of their heating is natural gas/oil based?

csharptwdec19 6y ago
IDK what it's like in quebec specifically, but a lot of my friends in Ontario would have multiple space heaters (depending on how many people were around and where they were) that they would use in the winter months for more 'localized' warmth and the HVAC was more about keeping pipes from freezing.
lukeschlather 6y ago
Central heaters may be natural gas/oil based but the blowing fans or water circulation are typically electric. Also people will supplement with electric space heaters for whatever room they are in while keeping the house somewhat colder than they would prefer.
nikisweeting 6y ago
Power is super cheap in Quebec ($0.04/kwh USD) and gas is not, so many people heat their homes to 16-19ºC with gas, then have electric space heaters in their rooms to bring it up to 21-23ºC.
rpeden 6y ago
I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but every source I've seen indicates that the majority of heat in Quebec is electric. This matches my experience, FWIW. When I lived in Ottawa, I occasionally looked at houses and apartment across the river in Quebec and nearly all of them had electric heat. More data: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2007/1741/ceb1741_003-eng.htm https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2007/1741/ceb17... https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles-quebec.html https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/pr... (see Electricity heading) https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/energycentre/blog/2019/06/a-closer-look-at-hydro-quebecs-electricity-price-advantage-over-ontario/ https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/energycentre/blog/2019/06/a-closer-l...
fredophile 6y ago
Another thing that takes electrical power to heat in the winter is vehicles. In many Canadian cities in the winter it is very common to plug in your car over night so the engine won't be frozen solid in the morning. Forgetting to do this means your car won't start after a cold night.
tgtweak 6y ago
Electricity cost in Quebec is around USD $0.05/kWh. Combine that with the fact that most alternative heating sources are at a premium (natural gas, propane and oil all cost substantially more in Quebec than they do in, for example, Texas) and the fact that 98% of Electricity is renewable source, that leads to a very heavy proportion of electric heat. It's not uncommon to have residential units exclusively heated by baseboard heaters - the least efficient means as far as energy required per unit of heat - however it's still cheaper to operate on a yearly basis than a natural gas furnace, while costing 20% of that to install/maintain.
8note 6y ago
There's non heating reasons to use electricity too. Canada is north. In summer, the sun can set round 11PM and in winter at 330PM That's a lot of hours of electrical light vs natural

IDK what it's like in quebec specifically, but a lot of my friends in Ontario would have multiple space heaters (depending on how many people were around and where they were) that they would use in the winter months for more 'localized' warmth and the HVAC was more about keeping pipes from freezing.

lukeschlather 6y ago

Central heaters may be natural gas/oil based but the blowing fans or water circulation are typically electric. Also people will supplement with electric space heaters for whatever room they are in while keeping the house somewhat colder than they would prefer.

nikisweeting 6y ago

Power is super cheap in Quebec ($0.04/kwh USD) and gas is not, so many people heat their homes to 16-19ºC with gas, then have electric space heaters in their rooms to bring it up to 21-23ºC.

rpeden 6y ago

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but every source I've seen indicates that the majority of heat in Quebec is electric. This matches my experience, FWIW. When I lived in Ottawa, I occasionally looked at houses and apartment across the river in Quebec and nearly all of them had electric heat. More data: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2007/1741/ceb1741_003-eng.htm https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2007/1741/ceb17... https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles-quebec.html https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/pr... (see Electricity heading) https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/energycentre/blog/2019/06/a-closer-look-at-hydro-quebecs-electricity-price-advantage-over-ontario/ https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/energycentre/blog/2019/06/a-closer-l...

fredophile 6y ago

Another thing that takes electrical power to heat in the winter is vehicles. In many Canadian cities in the winter it is very common to plug in your car over night so the engine won't be frozen solid in the morning. Forgetting to do this means your car won't start after a cold night.

tgtweak 6y ago

Electricity cost in Quebec is around USD $0.05/kWh. Combine that with the fact that most alternative heating sources are at a premium (natural gas, propane and oil all cost substantially more in Quebec than they do in, for example, Texas) and the fact that 98% of Electricity is renewable source, that leads to a very heavy proportion of electric heat. It's not uncommon to have residential units exclusively heated by baseboard heaters - the least efficient means as far as energy required per unit of heat - however it's still cheaper to operate on a yearly basis than a natural gas furnace, while costing 20% of that to install/maintain.

8note 6y ago

There's non heating reasons to use electricity too. Canada is north. In summer, the sun can set round 11PM and in winter at 330PM That's a lot of hours of electrical light vs natural