Key takeaways:
- With the growing push toward electric heating, the gas enterprise lauds carbon-neutral gas.
- In New Glasgow, P.E.I. warmed with a heat pump; this house won an award for best net-zero prepared home from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.
- Electrifying recent structures are somewhat cheap, experts state.
Bans on fossil fuels as the world goal for zero emissions:
Vancouver and Quebec just restricted specific types of fossil fuel-based heating in new home buildings. Similar — and, in some cases, more expansive — bans worldwide, from Norway to New York City. The goal? To slash CO2 emissions from structures by substituting fossil fuel burning with electric heating. But are such bans required? And what result will they have on individuals who live in those cities? Here’s a nearer look.
Where are fossil fuel heating denies occurring in Canada so far?
At least two jurisdictions have executed current regulations on fossil fuel heating:
- Vancouver: Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, space and hot water heating tools in recent low-rise residential structures must be zero emissions. By 2025, all new and alternate heating and hot water systems must be zero emissions.
- Quebec: Beginning Dec. 31, 2021, oil-powered heating has been prohibited in new building projects. After Dec. 31, 2023, returning current furnaces with any heating system powered by fossil fuels will be banned.
- Also read: About 50,000 Quebec students almost 2,000 teachers were absent due to COVID-19
Why are fossil fuels for heating being restricted now?
It’s occurring now because of tries to:
- achieve net-zero emissions.
- Drastically sliced methane.
Getting net-zero emissions by 2050 is a critical objective of the Paris Agreement on weather change. Canada itself has also dedicated itself to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
During the recent United Nations COP26 weather summit in Glasgow, Canada, almost 80 other nations signed a Global Methane Pledge to slash methane emissions — a greenhouse gas far more rugged than carbon dioxide — by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030.
