|
All homes consume energy. NRCan data indicate that 15 million households across Canada (single, attached, apartment) with combined floorspace of 2.3 billion ft2, consumed 406 billion kWh of secondary energy in 2022, of which 244 billion kWh was for space heating, 74 billion for water heating, 9 billion for space cooling & 78 billion kWh for lights & appliances ... an average of 21,307 kWh for thermal applications & 5,094 kWh for plug load, or 13 kWh thermal & 3 kWh plug for every ft2 of a home's floorspace. Collectively, all households emitted 48 billion kg of carbon from thermal applications & 7 billion kg from plug load, which works out to 3,148 kg for thermal & 479 kg for plug in each household, or 2 kg & 0.3 kg for every ft2of floorspace. This means that 81% of household energy is consumed for heating & cooling, and 87% of household carbon is emitted from these applications. These numbers underscore the critical need to address the negative impacts of thermal energy in our homes ... both new & existing. A ground source heat pump (GSHP) supplies that 21,307 kWh of thermal demand by producing renewable energy from the ground on a fully dispatchable (no batteries required) basis. If installed at the minimum allowed efficiency of 3.6 (can be much higher), it will need 5,918 kWh of power from the grid to operate its compressor & electrical components. But that household will produce 21,307 and consume 11,012 (5,918 + 5,094) for a verifiable ratio of 2:1 ... netzeroPLUS. It would also eliminate 3,148 kg of emissions from thermal applications (more if the local power utility offers low-carbon electricity). There are many misperceptions about GSHP which we address in this website. Once installed, GSHP is invisible & silent, including a system being installed on Parliament Hill. If all commercial buildings installed GSHP, they would produce another 220 billion kWh of dispatchable renewable energy & eliminate 36 billion kg of carbon emission. This means the total impact of thermal energy in all homes & offices across Canada in 2022 could have been 547 billion kWh of renewable energy produced & 71 billion kg not emitted. The cost to install GSHP is much much lower if done while the building is under construction, when trenching equipment & workers are on site, and before the property is landscaped. It is an ideal technology for subsidized housing because the lower operating costs will require less public funding support for years to come. It could be incented by a PTC (Production Thermal Credit) similar to wind & solar, to encourage maximum efficiency over its lifespan. |