Why shifting heating in buildings to electricity makes sense for Canada

The Canadian Climate Institute asserts that continuing the expansion of gas infrastructure for building heating creates financial risks for ratepayers and hinders climate targets. It advocates for an incremental transition to electric heat pumps and updated regulatory frameworks that consider alternatives to gas expansion, arguing that low-carbon gases like hydrogen and biomethane cannot realistically replace fossil gas for building heat due to cost and supply constraints.

• Treating gas network expansion as the default for heating new buildings risks leaving future ratepayers responsible for expensive, unnecessary infrastructure and stranded assets.
• The transition to electric heating should be incremental and managed through updated provincial policies, such as reforming obligation-to-serve requirements and requiring gas utilities to provide network maps to identify replacement opportunities.
• Gas utilities have a direct economic incentive to continue building infrastructure because they earn most of their profits from construction, even when long-term usage is uncertain, which can clash with the public interest.
• Low-carbon gases, specifically hydrogen and biomethane, are not realistic full replacements for fossil gas in buildings due to limited supply, high costs, and the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades.
• Electric heat pumps are identified as the most effective and cost-efficient method for reducing carbon pollution from the building sector, where emissions are currently continuing to rise.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2024). Why shifting heating in buildings to electricity makes sense for Canada. https://climateinstitute.ca/why-shift-heating-buildings-electricity-makes-sense-for-canada/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Why shifting heating in buildings to electricity makes sense for Canada. 2024. https://climateinstitute.ca/why-shift-heating-buildings-electricity-makes-sense-for-canada/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Why shifting heating in buildings to electricity makes sense for Canada |date=13 August 2024 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/why-shift-heating-buildings-electricity-makes-sense-for-canada/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianclimateinstitute2024why, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Why shifting heating in buildings to electricity makes sense for Canada}}, publisher = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/why-shift-heating-buildings-electricity-makes-sense-for-canada/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }