As with most things, no appliance lasts for ever. To add to the chaos, things often break when under stress, in other words when the need is the greatest. This can lead to short term thinking, at the expense of you and the planet. While government programs are available, in most cases some planning is needed to take advantage of it, and in a crisis, that does not get done. Perhaps the best solution for you takes a few months to deliver and install? So, lets us do the planning for you, and look at some of the major appliances in your home. Two stand out on just about every metric, your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and the water heater.
The table below lists a few common appliances in your home, along with the expected replacement period, cost (including installation), and how much it contributes to the average Canadian’s carbon footprint. Most of these, are from my own experience, but some came from various websites, I have where I can, included links in the note column to aid with your own research. Drop a line in the comments with your thoughts.
| Appliance | Cost (incl. installation) | Share of average Carbon emissions | Replacement period | Notes |
| Heating Ventilation And Cooling (HVAC) | 10-15k | 15-20% | 15-20 years | This can be a furnace, radiators, air conditioner, heat pump or any combination of these (source), (source) |
| Hot water heater | 1-4k | 5% | 10-15 years | Often gas fired, but electric heat pump water heaters are gaining in popularity (source) |
| Fridge | 2k | 1 % | 10-15 years | Well ventilated Fridges do tend to last longer (source) |
| Stove | 2k | 0.1 % | 10-15 years | Induction stoves offer fast boiling times (source) and might be better for you (source) |
| Dishwasher | 1-2k | 0.05% | 10 years | (source) |
| Clothes washer | 1k | 0.5 % | 10-15 years | (source) |
| Clothes dryer | 1-2k | 1 % | 10-15 years | (source) |
Most of the above appliances have a lifespan that reaches into the decades. Thus, if you are hastily replacing a broken HVAC system in say, January, you can wind up with something that is more polluting, has higher operating costs, and does not work as well for your needs. That is a decision you are stuck with for another 10-15 years.
Better to keep a loose track of your appliances age, that way you can do a little leisurely shopping to find the right one for you. Plus that way there is ample time to go through the hoops of whatever government incentive is available to you. I for example, am in the process of replacing a natural gas heating system with a heat pump. To do that, I need to arrange an erenguide evaluation before and after the work, plus of course procure and arrange for installation of a suitable system (source, source). If I don’t have heat in January, I’m not going to do any of those things, and potentially leave $10 000 in rebates on the table.
Ranked by Cost, longest lifespan, and CO2 emissions, HVAC and water heating are the number 1 and number 2 contenders. Thus its important to get those two right, as professional installation is required, even more so. While I can go get a new clothes dryer at an home improvement store today, I wont be so fortunate for my HVAC system.
Electric car adventures 