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2003 Survey of Household Energy Use (SHEU) – Summary Report

Hot Water

In a typical Canadian home, water heating is the second biggest energy user, after space heating. In fact, water heating accounted for more than 20 percent of residential energy usage in 2003.²⁷ Therefore, it was important for SHEU-2003 to examine the characteristics of water-heating equipment and the prevalence of water conservation devices within households.

Water Heating

Almost an equal number of Canadian households used either electricity or natural gas to heat their water in 2003 (see Chart 47). Given this result, it is surprising to observe that there was no region in Canada where this same trend was observed. Each region actually had a clear majority of households using one of these energy sources over the other.

Households east of Ontario were most likely to have used electricity to heat their water, while households west of Quebec were more apt to have used natural gas. It is also interesting to note that the Atlantic region was the only region where a significant number of households used oil to heat their water.

Hot Water Conservation Devices

While water is essential in a household, there are ways a household can conserve water and the energy used to heat it. Add-on insulation around the hot water tank and pipes ensures that energy used to heat water is not wasted. Also, water-saving shower heads and flow-reducing tap attachments conserve energy and water without changing water pressure.

In general, water-saving devices were more popular with Canadian households than add-on insulation products in 2003. This is apparent when the penetration rates for these devices are compared (see Chart 48). The penetration rates for water-saving shower heads and tap attachments were 54 percent and 46 percent respectively, while the rates for add-on insulation around the hot water tank and pipes were only 24 percent and 32 percent respectively.

²⁷ Natural Resources Canada, Energy Use Data Handbook – 1990 and 1997 to 2003, p. 22.