Last Updated on March 11, 2021 by Showrooms Online
Understanding Home Heating In Canada
Understanding home heating in Canada is a must if you are energy aware in your home.
Heating is over 60% of all your home energy use, followed by water heating at about 20%.
Distribution of residential energy use in Canada 2017, Natural Resources Canada
Together, heating and hot water represent 83% of all your residential energy use. In total, our homes consume 17% of all energy use in Canada and make a significant impact on the environment and our finances.
The accurate calculation of heat loss is critical to properly sizing the heating and cooling equipment in your home. The problems of too small a unit are obvious but too large a unit will also cause problems cycling on and off leading to inefficiency and an early failure of this expensive system. Heat loss calculations are far more complicated than the simple formulas used to add up btus/hour. Air infiltration and proper ventilation for indoor air quality add to the overall heating load on your furnace. Calculations required are specified in CSA F280-12 and are incorporated in the National and Provincial building codes.
Sizing and installation is the job of licensed professionals. No doubt, every home owner knows this but the actual company doing the work is most often a subcontractor to the company that you have hired to do your renovation. Your evaluation of a renovation contractor must include a list of subcontractors for hvac, plumbing and electrical, all of whom are licensed trades and perform work that is more technically complicated than that done by the general contractor. Membership in the trade associations is clearly something you should look for and insist on.
images by stuart miles courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Heating, Refrigeration And Air Conditioning Institute Of Canada (HRAI)
The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) is a non-profit national trade association of manufacturers, wholesalers and contractors in the Canadian heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industries.
HRAI contractor member companies are required to provide and maintain insurance coverage, valid trade certificates and licenses, and sign and agree to conform to the HRAI Member Code of Ethics. In choosing an HRAI member contractor to maintain your home or business’s indoor environment, you can be assured of their proven credentials, and a track record of reliability and quality.
Heating Degree Days
Heating Degree Days (HDD) are equal to the number of degrees Celsius a given day’s mean temperature is below 18 °C. For example, if the daily mean temperature is 12 °C, the HDD value for that day is equal to 6 °C. If the daily mean temperature is above 18 °C, the HDD value for that day is set to zero.
Understanding home heating in Canada and the heating loads that are a part of the local climate zone in which you live will allow you to manage your annual costs of energy.
Get in contact if you have experience in evaluating the heating load of your house or a good experience with a local contractor who went beyond your expectations with good service.
