Energy sources & equipment options
Natural Gas
Furnaces in forced air heating systems, boilers in hot water systems,
fireplaces and space heaters can be fuelled by natural gas. It is
delivered to your house through an underground pipeline. (It is not
available in some areas.)
Propane
Most equipment fuelled by propane is similar to that fuelled by natural
gas. In many cases, the only differences are one or two small components
that can often be changed by a registered contractor to convert a unit
from one fuel to the other. Propane is delivered by truck and stored in a
tank on your property.
Gas Equipment
Because of their similarities, natural gas and propane heating
equipment are discussed together.
The term "gas" refers to both natural gas and propane. The cost of the
two fuels differs, so remember to check the charts (Chapter
13) for cost comparisons.
There are three main types of gas furnaces:
- conventional (with a seasonal efficiency range of 55 to 68 per
cent);
- mid-efficiency (78 to 82 per cent); and
- high-efficiency (90 to 98 per cent).
Gas boilers have similar ranges of seasonal efficiency.
For an explanation of efficiency ratings for furnaces, boilers, heat
pumps, air conditioners and hot water heaters, see
Chapter
12, Efficiency Ratings.
Older conventional gas furnaces and
boilers
Some older furnaces and boilers, which are no longer produced but are
still in use, require a continuous liner in a masonry chimney or a metal
"B" vent chimney. The liner is needed because the combustion gases contain
water vapour which condenses on masonry and causes deterioration over
time. About 35 per cent of the heat from the fuel goes up the chimney with
these models.
Mid-efficiency gas furnaces and boilers
These models remove more heat from combustion gases so that less heat
escapes when the gases are exhausted and efficiency is improved. Depending
on the circumstances, they might be vented through a wall or through a
chimney.
High-efficiency (condensing) gas furnaces and
boilers
These models extract so much heat from combustion gases in order to
achieve their efficiency, that they can be safely vented through a narrow
plastic pipe that runs through the wall.
A Word About …Conversions
As indicated, natural gas and propane equipment is often identical
except for a few components. However, conversion of such equipment may
only be performed by fitters licensed to work on the equipment involved,
and such conversions are normally only permitted on equipment for which
the manufacturer supplies a certified conversion kit. It is possible to
convert equipment without a certified conversion kit. However, such
conversions must be individually inspected by the Technical Safety and
Standards Authority which, for residential applications, is a relatively
costly procedure.
If conversion capability is important to you, confirm the possibility
of legal conversion of the equipment before you buy.
A Word About … Efficiency
Under Energy Efficiency Act regulations, gas furnaces
manufactured after January 1, 1992 and oil furnaces manufactured after
September 1, 1994 must have an annual fuel utilization efficiency rating
(AFUE) of at least 78 per cent to be legally sold in Ontario. Older,
lower-efficiency (conventional) furnaces can be and are still used - for
example, they may be the heating system in an older home that has not
been updated - but such models are no longer produced.
Gas-fuelled Fireplaces
Gas fireplaces are sometimes used to provide space heating, though they
are also sometimes chosen for aesthetic reasons. There can be significant
differences in energy efficiency from one model to another, and the
effective efficiency of some types can be significantly affected by how
they are used. The considerations in selecting a gas fireplace are
numerous and beyond the scope of this book, but if you are considering
one, "All About Gas Fireplaces", available from Natural Resources Canada
(contact information -
Chapter
10), can guide you in your choice. It has information not only on
efficiency ratings, but several other factors you should consider, both
before selecting one, and in installing and using one.
Oil
Oil furnaces and boilers have a burner, a heat exchanger and a blower
or pump. New oil furnaces made in Ontario are efficient. Oil is delivered
by truck and stored in a tank, which is usually located in the
basement.
Older conventional oil furnaces and boilers
Older, conventional oil furnaces and boilers with a standard burner
have a seasonal efficiency generally ranging from 60 to 70 per cent. Like
older, conventional gas furnaces and boilers, they are no longer produced.
However, in an existing model that is working well, the seasonal
efficiency can be improved by replacing the burner with a flame retention
unit - usually a more cost-effective step than replacing the entire
furnace.
New oil furnaces and boilers
A typical new oil furnace or boiler has a seasonal efficiency rating
generally ranging from 78 to 86 per cent. Many of these units can be
vented through the wall.
Oil stoves
There are free-standing oil space heaters with a visible flame now
available. There are no efficiency standards for these products.
A Word About... Upgrading
An older oil furnace or boiler can often be upgraded to more than 80
per cent efficiency. The first step in making a decision about a possible
upgrade or replacement of your oil furnace or boiler is to have a
qualified service technician measure its steady-state efficiency. The
technician can explain what could be done to increase efficiency and
maintain safe operation. The technician can also estimate the remaining
life expectancy of the existing equipment, the costs of an upgrade and the
cost of replacement with all-new equipment.
Electricity
Electric resistance systems can consist of a central furnace or boiler
connected to an air or hot water distribution system, radiant panels
embedded in the floor or ceiling or a baseboard space heating system.
Electricity also powers heat pumps. When electric resistance heating is
used in a new home, including as a back-up for an air source heat pump,
the build-ing code requires the house to be built with higher minimum
levels of insulation.
Heat Pumps
A heat pump is usually an electrically-powered system that can either
heat or cool by transferring heat from one place to another. During the
heating season, a heat pump extracts heat from either the air, ground or
water outside the house, and transfers it indoors. In the summer the
direction of the heat flow is reversed, extracting heat from indoors and
transferring it outdoors, to provide air conditioning. Because they
satisfy a substantial part of your heating needs by utilizing already
available heat, rather than consuming electricity to generate all of the
heat you need, heat pumps are significantly more efficient than electric
resistance heating.
Heat pumps are sized in tons - one ton equals 12,000 British Thermal
Units per hour (BTU/h) - and most home models range from 1.5 tons to 5
tons. There are three main types of heat pumps: air source heat pumps,
earth energy systems and bivalent heat pumps.
Air source heat pumps
These most commonly-used heat pumps can provide all the cooling
requirements of a home and most of the heating needs, but they require an
auxiliary heating source during very cold weather. This can be either an
electric resistance or a fossil fuel unit.
Earth energy systems
Also known as ground source heat pumps, these systems transfer heat
from the ground, ground water or surface water and use it to provide home
heating. For summer cooling, the process is reversed. If desired, earth
energy systems can be equipped to provide domestic hot water year round.
Electric resistance heaters may be installed to provide supplementary
heating for the coldest days. They normally utilize much less electric
resistance heat and offer significantly higher efficiency than air source
heat pumps.
Wood
Many Ontario households use wood as their main fuel and even more use
it as a supplementary source of heat. Most of these households are outside
large urban areas where firewood is usually less expensive than other
fuels. Before considering converting to wood heat for economic reasons,
however, you should also take into account the need for storage space and
the time and effort required to handle the wood and tend the fire. (For
information on sources of firewood, see
Chapter
10.)
The most common approach to wood heating today is a wood stove or
high-efficiency fireplace installed in the main living area of the house.
If the house is medium-sized and relatively new, this kind of equipment
can provide almost all the heat needed. (See Space Heaters,
Chapter
4.)
If you have an existing masonry fireplace, a high-efficiency fireplace
insert could be a good option. And many models offer the pleasure of a
visible wood fire. Older or larger houses may need the additional heating
power offered by a wood-burning furnace. If your present heating system is
a forced air furnace that uses a more costly fuel, you might want to
consider an add-on wood furnace. It is installed beside the existing
furnace and the duct work is modified so that it can be shared by both
furnaces. Combination wood/oil or wood/electric furnaces are options for
new or replacement systems.
Stoves that burn pellets made from wood or agricultural crops such as
corn kernels are also available. Pellets are automatically fed into the
burner and the householder simply dials in the required temperature on the
thermostat.
When shopping for wood-burning equipment, visit several wood heat
retail stores and discuss appliance selection, location and installation
with a knowledgeable salesperson. Certification under the Wood Energy
Technical Training program (WETT) indicates that the salesperson and
installer have been trained in the proper, safe installation and
operation of wood-burning equipment. Always buy wood-burning equipment that is
certified for safety. Look for equipment labels bearing the names Warnock
Hersey, Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) or Canadian Standards
Association (CSA). It is also preferable to buy equipment that has been
certified as meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or
Canadian CSA-B415 emission standards. These certified wood-burning
appliances produce one-tenth of the chimney emissions and one-third higher
efficiency than earlier units.
Outdoor Furnace
"Outdoor" wood furnaces or boilers are also on the market. They may
appear attractive, because they will burn low cost material you would not
think of putting in an indoor appliance and can burn for long periods
between refueling. They can be low on efficiency and high on emissions. If
you still want to consider one, it's advisable to check with your local
municipal building officials and your local Ontario Ministry of the
Environment office (see Blue Pages of your phone book or
Chapter
10) regarding acceptability for the location you have in mind.
Solar Energy
Like wood, solar energy is a renewable resource. Solar heating does not
involve the combustion of fossil fuels, so it does not produce
environmentally-harmful emissions. It can be as simple as south-facing
windows serving as passive solar collectors. Passive solar heating is free
and should be an important consideration in the design of homes. Homes
built to high levels of energy efficiency and designed to make the most
use of free solar heating can save hundreds of dollars a year on energy
bills.
Other Energy
Sources
Residential systems are available to generate electricity from sunlight
or wind. In certain situations, such as remote locations, one of these may
be the most practical option. In addition, the government government is
establishing standardized processes and technical requirements which will
require electricity distributors to allow customers with qualifying
generation equipment to supplement their utility electricity needs with
power they generate themselves. Check the listings in
Chapter
10 for information on alternative energy choices.
© 2005
Queen's Printer for Ontario
This information is provided as a public
service, but we cannot guarantee that the information is current or
accurate.
Readers should verify the information before acting on
it.