2008 Commercial & Institutional Consumption of Energy Survey, Summary Report

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6 Energy Sources Used for Space Heating, Space Cooling and Water Heating

CICES 2008 collected data on the type of energy used for space heating, space cooling and water heating. In the case of space heating and cooling, a distinction between primary and secondary energy sources was made.

6.1 Space heating

Almost all C&I establishments (more than 99.5%) were at least partially space heated.

Table 10 shows the number of establishments that used a given energy source for space heating, by region, focusing on the primary energy source used.

In Canada, 88% of the C&I sector establishments used either natural gas (52%) or electricity (36%) as their primary energy source for space heating.

From a regional perspective, electricity was the most widely used primary energy source in Quebec and the Atlantic region where 66% and 57% of establishments, respectively, used it as their primary heating energy. Natural gas was most popular in Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia, with usage rates of 73%, 74% and 52% respectively. The lowest rate of natural gas use was in the Atlantic region at 5%. However, this region had the highest percentage of users of light fuel oil and other fuels in Canada (38%).

* Other fuels include light fuel oil, propane, heavy fuel oil, diesel, steam, wood and other types.

These observed variations in regional energy sources used for space heating in the C&I sector are consistent with variations seen in the residential sector.¹⁵ Therefore, it can be concluded that the type of energy source used is primarily based on regional location of the user.

Table 10. Number of establishments by primary energy source for space heating, by region, 2008

Number of Establishments
Energy Source	Canada	Atlantic	Quebec
Electricity	170 393 A	20 672 A	68 834 A
Natural Gas	243 604 A	1 884 B	18 350 A
Other*	53 009 A	13 782 A	16 425 A
Total	467 006 A	36 338 A	103 609 A

Table 10. Number of establishments by primary energy source for space heating, by region, 2008 (cont.)

Number of Establishments
Energy Source	Ontario	Prairies	British Columbia
Electricity	33 705 A	16 272 A	30 910 A
Natural Gas	123 261 A	62 607 A	37 503 A
Other*	12 798 B	6 117 B	3 887 B
Total	169 764 A	84 996 A	72 300 A

* Other fuels include light fuel oil, propane, heavy fuel oil, diesel, steam, wood and other types.

The letter to the right of each estimate indicates its quality, as follows: A – Very good, B – Acceptable, C – Use with caution, F – Too unreliable to be published or suppressed for reasons of confidentiality.

Due to rounding, numbers may not add up to the total shown, and some numbers may differ slightly from one table to the next.

6.2 Space cooling

According to CICES 2008 estimates, 71% of the C&I sector establishments were at least partially space cooled.

As shown in Figure 19, the proportion of establishments that were cooled varied across Canada. While the lowest proportion of cooled establishments were found in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada, 65% and 53% respectively, the Prairies and Ontario displayed the highest rates at 75% and 78% respectively.

Electricity was, by a wide margin, the most widely used energy source for space cooling across all regions (see Figure 20). At the Canadian level, the second most used fuel for space cooling was natural gas, with 12% of the cooled establishments using it.

* Other fuels include natural gas, light fuel oil, propane, heavy fuel oil, diesel and other types.

In 2008, only 6% of all air-conditioned establishments used more than one energy source for space cooling. Those who used electricity as their primary energy source for space cooling often used natural gas as their secondary energy source, and vice-versa.

6.3 Water heating

According to CICES 2008 estimates, 97% of all C&I establishments heated water. This rate varied from 93% in Quebec to 99% in British Columbia.

Electricity was the main energy source for water heating in Canada, providing power to 60% of establishments that had water heaters. By comparison, 35% of establishments with water heating used natural gas and only 5% used other fuels.

From a regional perspective, electricity was again a widely used energy source in the Atlantic region and Quebec where it provided the energy for water heating to 79% and 87% of the establishments, respectively (see Figure 21). This proportion fell to 51% in Ontario, where natural gas took a 45% share. C&I establishments in British Columbia mostly used electricity (59%) for their hot water needs. Finally, the Prairies were the only region where the majority of establishments did not use electricity to heat their water.

* Other fuels include natural gas, light fuel oil, propane, heavy fuel oil, renewable, steam, wood and other types.

¹⁵ Natural Resources Canada, 2007 Survey of Household Energy Use – Summary Report, p.26. http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/Publications/statistics/sheu-summary07/space-heating.cfm

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