Survey of Household Energy Use, 2015

Survey of Household Energy Use

The Survey of Household Energy Use (SHEU) is a joint project between Statistics Canada and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). It collects data on household energy use in homes and residential buildings across Canada. This report provides highlights from the survey and insights on household energy use and energy efficiencies.

The SHEU gathers information on energy use and factors affecting energy use in households, which assists in the delivery of programs to support Canadians as they seek to achieve greater energy efficiency and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. In 2015, about 14.2 million Canadian households consumed 1.4 billion gigajoules (GJ) of energy to power activities inside the home, with the average Canadian household consuming just under 100 GJ of energy. This is a decrease of just over 5% from the 2011 SHEU, demonstrating that energy efficiency has helped curb the increase in energy use arising from higher activity levels, more appliances, and slightly colder temperatures in the home.

Household
Energy Use

Household Energy Use in 2015

  • Canadians used more than 1.4 billion GJ of energy, an decrease of approximately 20 million GJ from 2011. Ontario was the most energy-consuming province with 549.7 million GJ (39%) of energy use, but saw a decrease of 14.8 million GJ from 2011.
  • Natural gas was the most consumed fuel with 670.3 million GJ (47%) used in Canada, followed by electricity with 594.6 million GJ (42%), and oil/wood 146.8 million GJ (10%).
  • Quebec was the largest consumer of electricity (240.4 million GJ, 40%) and oil/wood (56.8 million GJ, 39%).
  • Ontario, the largest consumer of natural gas with 359.1 million GJ (54%)%), used more than the rest of Canada.
  • The Atlantic region utilized the least amount of natural gas, using 1.8 million GJ.
  • Oil and wood are not generally popular fuels in regions across the country, with the exception of the Atlantic provinces where they make up 49% of consumption. This is especially true in Alberta, where oil and wood account for only a little over 1 million GJ.
fig_01.png - Figure 1: Energy Consumption by Region, 2019
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Figure 1: Energy consumption by region, 2015

Region Energy consumption (%) Number of households (million)
Atlantic 8 1.0
Quebec 22 3.6
Ontario 39 5.3
Manitoba/Saskatchewan 7 0.9
Alberta 13 1.5
British Columbia 11 1.9
fig_02.png - Figure 2: Energy Consumption by Region and Type, 2019
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Figure 2: Energy consumption by region and type, 2015 (%)

Region Electricity Natural Gas Other (including Oil and Wood)
Canada 42 47 10
British Columbia 38 57 4
Alberta 21 78 1
Manitoba/Saskatchewan 37 60 3
Ontario 30 65 5
Quebec 77 5 18
Atlantic 49 2 49
Note: numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Household
Characteristics

General Characteristics of Canadian Households

  • There were 14.1 million households in Canada, an increase of 0.5 million from 2011. Ontario had the most with 5.3 million households. Manitoba/Saskatchewan had the fewest with 908.8 thousand.
  • Single detached houses were the most common type of dwelling in Canada. Mobile homes were the least common.
  • Two-person households were the most common (34%) followed by one-person households (28%).
  • Households with members aged 65 or over was the most common age demographic (23%).
  • The average heated area per household was 194.8 m2, an increase from 189.3 m2 in 2011. Alberta had the largest average heated area with 207.4 m2 and Quebec was the smallest with 175.3 m2.
fig_03.png - Figure 3: Distribution of Dwellings by Type, 2019
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Figure 3: Distribution of Dwellings by Type, 2015 (%)

Type of Dwelling Percent
Single detached house 57
Double / Row or Terrace / Duplex 14
Low-rise apartment 14
High-rise apartment 9
Mobile home 1
Don’t know/Not stated 5
fig_04.png - Figure 4: Distribution of Dwellings by Year of Construction, 2019
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Figure 4: Distribution of Dwellings by Year of Construction, 2015 (%)

Year of Construction Percent
Before 1946 10
1946 – 1960 13
1961 – 1977 21
1978 – 1983 10
1984 – 1995 20
1996 – 2000 7
2001 – 2010 15
2011 or later 4
Energy
Intensity

Energy Intensity

  • Alberta had the highest energy intensity, with 118.4 GJ per household. British Columbia had the lowest with 81.8 GJ per household. The national average was 99.6 GJ per household, a decrease from 105.3 GJ per household from 2011.
  • In Canada, household income is positively correlated with energy intensity.
  • By dwelling type, single detached homes consumed the most energy with 124.3 GJ per household and apartments sharing common walls were the least energy consuming dwelling type (37.6 GJ per household).
  • Quebec households consumed the most electricity with 67.5 GJ per household, which is more than double the consumption in Alberta (24.9 GJ per household). The national average was 42 GJ per household.
  • Households that owned their dwelling had a higher energy intensity (114.4 GJ per household) than renters (58.4 GJ per household).
fig_05.png - Figure 5: Energy Intensity per Household, 2019
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Figure 5: Energy Intensity by Region, 2015 (GJ per Household)

Region Energy Intensity (GJ per Household)
Canada 99.6
Atlantic 109.4
Quebec 88.2
Ontario 104.1
Manitoba/Saskatchewan 112.3
Alberta 118.4
British Columbia 81.8
fig_06.png - Figure 6: Energy Intensity per Household by Income, 2019
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Figure 6: Energy Intensity by Income, 2015 (GJ per Household)

Income Level Energy Intensity (GJ per Household)
<$20k 59
$20k – $40k 77
$40k – $60k 83
$60k – $80k 105
$80k – $100k 107
$100k – $150k 116
>$150k 127

Energy Intensity by Heated Area

  • Manitoba/Saskatchewan had the highest energy intensity per heated area with 0.59 GJ/m2. The national average was 0.51 GJ/m2 (decline of 0.5 GJ/m2 from 2011) while the least energy intensive province was British Columbia with 0.44 GJ/m2.
  • Renters consumed more energy per heated area (0.59 GJ/m2) than owners did (0.51 GJ/m2).
Household
Improvements

Major Household Improvements

  • Over the last 10 years, approximately 1.9 million Canadian households participated in an energy audit, with 1.4 million households making changes as a result.
  • Since 2010, a little over 6 million households made improvements that reduced energy consumption.
  • The most common dwelling improvement was with water heating equipment, followed by improvements to windows.
  • The most common reason (55%) that Canadians gave regarding not making dwelling improvements was that they felt no improvements were necessary.
  • Approximately 929 thousand households received a government grant as a part of a retrofit program.
fig_07.png - Figure 7: Households by Major Household Improvement, 2019
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Figure 7: Number of Households by Major Household Improvement, 2015 (million)

Major Household Improvement Number of Households (million)
Space heating equipment 2.1
Water heating equipment 2.5
Windows (including patio doors) 2.4
Caulking or weather-stripping 1.4
Exterior doors (includng garage doors) 1.4
Installed a programmable thermostat 2.1
Ventilation or central AC equipment 1.2
Heating
Systems

Heating Systems

  • The most common main energy source for heating was natural gas (43%), followed by electricity (41%), then heating oil (3%).
  • Furnaces were the most common main heating equipment with a 53% share in Canadian households. Approximately 3.3 million furnaces were identified to be Energy Star rated, an increase of 1.3 million furnaces since 2011.
  • Around 5.3 million households (37%) have a supplemental heating system, with gas fireplace being the most common.
  • Canadian households preferred to have their indoor temperature between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius when present and awake.
fig_08.png - Figure 8: Household Heating by Energy Source, 2019
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Figure 8: Household Heating by Energy Source Footnote 1 , 2015 (%)

Main Energy Source Percent
Electricity 40
Natural Gas 45
Heating Oil 3
Wood 3
Propane 0.9
Other 0.1
Dual Source 3
Don’t know / Not stated 5
fig_09.png - Figure 9: Household Heating by Heating Equipment, 2019
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Figure 9: Household Heating by Heating Equipment, 2015 (%)

Main Heating Equipment Percent
Furnace 53
Boiler 9
Heating stove (wood, pellet, corn pan, charcoal…) 3
Electric radiant heating 3
Electric baseboards 26
Gas fireplace 0.7
Heat pump 3
Other 0.7
Don’t know/Not stated 1.4
Note: numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Appliances

Appliances

  • With the exception of main freezers, ceiling fans, and water coolers, the majority of major appliances were Energy Star rated.
  • A little over 4.2 million households have a second refrigerator, while 332 thousand households have three or more.
  • Electricity was the most common energy source for cooking appliances, with 11.6 million households.
fig_10.png - Figure 10: Distribution of Appliances by Age, 2019
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Figure 10: Ratio of Energy Star Rated Appliances, 2015 (%)

Appliance Energy Star Non Energy Star
Main refrigerator 56 16
Main freezer 40 27
Dishwasher 61 15
Clothes washer 59 15
Clothes dryer 55 18
Ceiling fan 16 23
Water cooler 47 22
Note: The “Don’t know/Not stated” category was not included in the figures, leading to a total percentage of less than 100%.
Electronic
Devices

Electronic Devices

  • Energy Star was not as prevalent for electronic devices. Televisions were the only electronic device to have an Energy Star prevalence of over 50% in Canadian households.
  • 8.9 million households (63%) had portable media/smartphones in their homes.
fig_11.png - Figure 11: Use of the most frequent electronic devices in an average week, 2019
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Figure 11: Ratio of Select Energy Star Rated Electronics, 2015 (%)

Device Energy Star Non Energy Star
Television 57 10
Game console 13 9
Tablets / smart phones 20 11
Computer 38 13
Computer monitor 28 10
Smart network equipment 22 9
Note: The “Don’t know/Not stated” category was not included in the figures, leading to a total percentage of less than 100%.

Lighting

Lighting

  • Incandescent lightbulbs were the most commonly used lightbulb across Canada, with 9.7 million households using them.
  • The number of households using light emitting diodes (LED) increased greatly (281%), from 1.5 million to 5.9 million households since SHEU-2011.
  • Lightbulb time-of-use increases during the winter compared to the summer.
fig_12.png - Figure 12: Lightbulb Usage by Type, 2019
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Figure 12: Usage of Types of Lightbulbs, 2015 (%)

Type of Lightbulb Uses Does not use
Incandescent 68 20
Compact fluorescent 47 42
Halogen 49 39
Other fluroescent 39 48
LED 41 47
Other 12 73
Note: The “Don’t know/Not stated” category was not included in the figures, leading to a total percentage of less than 100%.
Additional sources
and data tables

Additional sources and data tables