A Regional Study of Impacts on Residential Heating Energy Requirements Due to C02 Induced Climate Change in Ontario

Abstract

Seasonal space heating energy requirement per household or per customer in Ontario for different fuels were computed for two 2 × C02 climate scenarios and it was found that there will be a decrease in consumption of energy per household by 31–45%, of natural gas per customer by 19–28% and of oil and electricity per customer by 49–71% from their respective current consumption. Total heating energy consumption was computed by considering three population growth scenarios. A sensitivity analysis, which provides the total heating energy consumption for various increases in temperature and number of households, is presented. The actual total energy consumption in the year 2065 for medium (3.6% per decade) and low (1.9% per decade) population growth is estimated to be less than the current consumption, however, the consumption in 2065 would be higher for a high (11.7% per decade) population growth despite climatic warming.