FACT SHEET: Energy Conservation Statistics

• Ontario provincial government wants to create a “culture of energy conservation”.
• Conservation of energy is much easier and much cheaper than trying to increase the supply of energy - every $1 not spent on energy conservation costs $5 on new energy generation.
• Ontario residents use 15-35 per cent more energy per person than the average New York or California resident.
• The Ontario Government has set energy reduction targets of 20 per cent by 2007.
• In 2003, the residential sector accounted for 17 per cent of secondary energy use in Canada, and 16 per cent of related greenhouse gas emissions.
• Scandinavian countries enduring cold winters use less than half the energy per capita that Canadians do.
• Over 81 per cent of residential energy is used for space and water heating. Reducing the amount of energy for space and water heating can decrease energy-related greenhouse gas and air emissions, improve the health of Canadians, and save money.
• The largest growth in global Green House Gas emissions between 1970 and 2004 has come from the energy supply sector, an increase of 145 per cent.*
• About 85 per cent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions are associated with energy production, distribution and consumption.*
• April 2007: Ontario Government announced province wide ban on the sale of incandescent lightbulbs by 2012.
• Canadians typically spend 90 per cent of their time indoors. According to Health Canada, indoor air quality has become an important environmental issue.
• Poor indoor air quality can be detrimental to one’s health and can cause headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, sinus congestions, coughing, sneezing, skin irritation, dizziness, nausea, and eye, nose and throat irritation.
• Through a combination of the federal government and Ontario provincial government, EnWise can help its customers claim up to $10,000 in rebates for environmentally-friendly and even profitable, home improvements.

SOURCES: Ontario Power Authority, December 2005 Report; Ontario Ministry of Energy; www.energyshop.com; Office of Energy Efficiency: The State of Energy Efficiency in Canada Report 2006; Kingston Whig Standard-“Canadians Urged to Get Green”, Monday, February 5, 2007, p.B1; Red Deer Express, “Retrofit $$$ for Homeowners”, Wednesday, January 31, 2007, p. 31; Health Canada Website; statistics taken from a wide variety of sources including: Zerofootprint.net, David Suzuki Foundation, Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources Canada, Office of Energy Efficiency, Powerwise and Flick Off