Environment | Consume less electricity | Press

After the publication of a file on the fight against climate change, many of you wanted to read and exchange concrete tips to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in your household. Every Sunday, we present one to you which will then be analyzed by the International Reference Center on the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG). Today, some tips from our reader Amélie Falcon-Borduas under the magnifying glass of Jean-François Ménard, analyst at CIRAIG.

Catherine handfield
Press

Amélie Falcon-Borduas’ tips

Amélie Falcon-Borduas and her husband try to limit their electricity consumption. At home in Longueuil, they replaced their old furnace with a heat pump and had good windows installed. They choose energy efficient light bulbs. “Since we have an old house, every gesture counts,” she says.

Jean-François Ménard’s comments

Unsurprisingly, space heating consumes the most electricity in a residence. Hydro-Québec allocates an average of 49% (or 6,370 kilowatt-hours [kWh] per year) of electricity consumption in a dwelling, and 57% (or 12,540 kWh per year) in a single-family house. “This represents from 220 to 430 kg of CO equivalent₂ [kg éq. CO₂] per year ”, calculates Jean-François Ménard. Remember that, if we want to stay below the 2 ° C increase by 2050, the total annual carbon budget is estimated at 2 tonnes of CO equivalent.₂ per person.

Still according to Hydro-Quebec, a high-efficiency heat pump can reduce heating consumption by two-thirds, “ie an average reduction of 150 kg eq. CO₂ per year for a dwelling and 290 kg eq. CO₂ for a single-family house, ”emphasizes Jean-François Ménard. We must subtract from this the footprint linked to the production of the heat pump – approximately 35 kg eq. CO₂ per year if it is amortized over 20 years. “The net reduction is therefore between 115 and 255 kg eq. CO₂ per year, ”says the analyst.

Installing energy-efficient windows now can reduce heating consumption by around 10%. This represents on average 22 kg eq. CO₂ per year for a dwelling, 43 kg eq. CO₂ for a detached house. We must subtract from this the production footprint, which amounts to about 2 kg eq. CO₂ per year for each square meter of window (if the windows are kept for 25 years). To have a gain, it is therefore necessary that the area of ​​the windows does not exceed 11 m² for housing and 22 m² for a single-family house, calculates Jean-François Ménard.

Lighting, on the other hand, consumes much less energy than heating. Its carbon footprint, which varies between 22 kg eq. CO₂ (housing) and 30 kg eq. CO₂ (detached house) per year, is about 10 times less than that of heating.

Energy-efficient LED bulbs use about 80% less electricity than incandescent bulbs, says Jean-François Ménard. They also have a very long lifespan – at least 15 years. “The significant reduction in electricity consumption during their use leads to a net reduction in the carbon footprint compared to incandescent bulbs,” concludes the analyst.