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Energy Use Data Handbook, 1990 and 1997 to 2003

Chapter 2 – Residential Sector

The Data Situation

Aggregate data on residential energy use is reported in Statistics Canada's Report on Energy Supply-Demand in Canada (RESD) (Cat. No. 57-003-XIB), whereas its Survey of Household Spending (SHS) collects additional data on the characteristics of residential equipment and housing stock. Before 1997,which was the first year Statistics Canada conducted the survey, the Household Facilities and Equipment Survey (HFE) collected similar data. The residential stock estimates in this handbook derive from both surveys; however, although the surveys use similar methodologies, they are not identical. Furthermore, because there was a re-base of the SHS data in 1999, significant processing of the data was necessary to merge the information.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has also collected additional information through two types of surveys sponsored by the National Energy Use Database (NEUD) – stock surveys and flow surveys. Stock surveys have two main goals. First, they collect information on the characteristics of energy-using appliances and equipment, the state of dwellings and building stock, and the profile of consumers (including consumption habits). Second, they collect data on annual energy consumption by households. Flow surveys gather information on variables affecting housing stock, such as the characteristics of new equipment and new housing, and retrofit activities. For more information on surveys conducted by NEUD, visit its Web site at: oee.nrcan.gc.ca/statistics/publications.

The Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) has also developed the Residential End-Use Model (REUM).This stock accounting model assesses trends in energy use in the Canadian residential sector. It is disaggregated at the provincial level and includes five end-uses (space heating, water heating, appliances, lighting and space cooling), some of which are further disaggregated at the level of equipment or energy sources.

To estimate end-use energy use, REUM allocates the energy use reported in RESD to the five end-uses by using annual stock characteristics and sales data, coupled with demand loads and unit energy consumption for equipment stock.

By combining data from the HFE survey with data from the SHS, REUM estimates data on housing stock by province, building type and vintage. The OEE estimates data on floor space by combining REUM's housing stock estimates with data on floor space from two other surveys: the Building Permits Survey and the OEE-sponsored 1993 and 1997 Survey of Household Energy Use (SHEU), both conducted by Statistics Canada. NEUD is currently in the process of updating the information collected through SHEU for the 2003 reporting year. Field data collection occurred in the spring of 2004 and preliminary data are expected in 2005.

REUM estimates data on residential equipment stock by using data from Statistics Canada's stock surveys and other industry surveys. The data on demand load and unit energy consumption comes from various studies, some conducted at the request of NRCan.

This year, new data from the SHS micro-data file allowed us to update our previous estimates of energy sources for water heating. The historical series has been revised to take into account this new information. Heat loss assumptions that impact on the energy consumed to heat and cool houses were also revisited.

The model also takes into account the influence of weather on residential energy demand. It uses the number of heating degree-days in Monthly Summary of Degree-Days below 18.0°C and the number of cooling degree-days in Monthly Summary of Degree-Days above 18.0°C, two reports from Environment Canada.

The residential prices of heating oil and natural gas are weighted averages of regional prices from Statistics Canada's Energy Statistics Handbook (Cat. No. 57-601-XIE). The residential price of electricity is a weighted average of the data found in Hydro-Québec's Comparison of Electricity Prices in Major North American Cities.

View handbook tables.

Due to rounding, the numbers in the tables may not add up or calculate to their reported totals or growth rates.

• Residential Secondary Energy Use by Energy Source and End-Use
• Residential GHG Emissions by Energy Source and End-Use – Including and Excluding Electricity-Related Emissions
• Residential Housing Stock and Floor Space
• Residential Space Heating Energy Use by Energy Source, Building Type and Vintage
• Residential Space Heating System Stock Share
• Residential Lighting and Space Cooling Details
• Residential Appliance Details
• Residential Appliance Unit Energy Consumption (UEC)
• Residential Water Heating Energy Use and Water Heater Stock Share
• Residential Energy Prices and Background Indicators