The average Canadian household uses about 9 000 kWh of electricity a year, further a 2533 cubic metres of natural gas, and about 3000 litres of motor gasoline (source, source and source). Since most of the time, heat-pumps can cover for natural gas, and EVs can cover for gas cars, lets convert this to electrical energy. Well some googling suggests that 1l of motor gasoline releases 8.9 kWh of energy when burned, and 1 m3 of natural gas releases 10.3 kWh, so that’s about 62 000 kWh of energy consumption for our average Canadian household. Does that mean electrifying home heating and our cars will require us to increase energy generation by 680 %! As it turns out, not even close, as heat-pumps and EVs are MUCH more efficient than burning stuff, lets dive in and discuss.
Lets start by charting our average household, and looking at in terms of both electrical energy, and how much energy is released when gas is burned in cars, or natural gas in our furnaces (source, source and source). Interestingly, electricity is only about 15% of the total. But then again, while we do want heat when we burn natural gas in the winter-time, we just want it inside our house, further heat is not the desired outcome when we burn gasoline in our cars, we want to get to where we want to go.
My heat-pump transfers 3 kWh of heat indoors, for every 1 kWh of electricity used (source). Why then I won’t need to use 26165 kWh to heat my home, in fact 8721 kWh will do.
Similarly, those 3000 l of motor gasoline, is really there to drive the family fleet 33 000 km. Well put that way, and using the 6 km/kWh efficiency figures for my Nissan Leaf (source), we need only 5500 kWh, not the 26700 kWh that the gas car mostly wastes away to heat.
Well, heat-pumps and EVs owning to their much higher efficiency, change the game. We still need to increase our Electricity generation, but it’s more like 2-3 times instead of 7. Something that I at least, can satisfy using rooftop solar.
Somehow though with the heat pump and EV my average electricity usage is only a little higher that the average household. I consume about 1000 kWh a month while the Ontario government defines 750 kWh as the average. Perhaps if we did something about those beer fridges and old appliances we need not increase power production at all?
Electric car adventures 