| Parameter | Value | Note |
|---|
Canadian Provincial Electricity Grid Emission Factors
| Province/Territory | Grid Emission Factor (g CO2/kWh) | Primary Generation Source |
|---|
How to Use the Carbon Footprint Calculator
Province determines your electricity grid emission factor, and it's the single biggest variable in this calculation. Quebec, Manitoba, and BC sit under 30 g CO2/kWh from hydro generation; Alberta and Saskatchewan can exceed 400-600 g CO2/kWh from gas and coal. The same electric heat pump can have a 15x difference in footprint depending only on province.
Select electricity, natural gas, propane, or heating oil. Combustion fuels use a fixed emission factor everywhere in Canada (natural gas ~1.88 kg CO2/m3, propane ~1.51 kg CO2/L, heating oil ~2.75 kg CO2/L), while electricity uses your province's grid factor from step 1.
Pull actual annual consumption from your utility bills for the most accurate result: kWh for electricity, m3 for natural gas, litres for propane or heating oil. A typical Canadian home uses roughly 8,000-12,000 kWh/year of electricity or 2,000-3,000 m3/year of natural gas for space heating and hot water combined.
Your total annual CO2e is shown alongside common reference points. Cross-check against the heat pump vs furnace calculator to see cost and carbon dimensions of a heating switch together for your specific province, or export a formatted client report with the carbon report generator.
Why your province determines your HVAC carbon footprint more than your equipment does
For electric heating and cooling systems, the carbon footprint depends almost entirely on the source of electricity generation in your province, not just on the equipment's electrical consumption. Canada's provinces have dramatically different electricity grid compositions, ranging from nearly carbon-free hydroelectric-dominated grids to grids still significantly reliant on fossil fuel generation, and this single factor often matters more than the efficiency rating of the equipment itself when calculating actual emissions.
Quebec, Manitoba, and British Columbia generate the vast majority of their electricity from hydroelectric power, giving them grid emission factors typically under 30 grams of CO2 per kWh, some of the lowest in the world. Alberta and Saskatchewan still depend significantly on natural gas and coal generation, with grid emission factors that can exceed 400-600 grams of CO2 per kWh, more than 15 times higher than the hydro-dominated provinces for the identical kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed. The Canada Energy Regulator's provincial energy profiles break down the generation mix behind these numbers for every province and territory.
Combustion emission factors for fossil fuels
Unlike electricity, the carbon emission factor for directly combusted fuels like natural gas, propane, and heating oil is essentially the same everywhere in Canada, since these are direct combustion emissions based on the fuel's chemical composition rather than a varying generation mix. Natural gas emits approximately 1.88 kg of CO2 per cubic metre burned. Propane emits approximately 1.51 kg of CO2 per litre. Heating oil emits approximately 2.75 kg of CO2 per litre. These factors don't change based on where in Canada you live, unlike the electricity grid factor. This calculator covers combustion and grid electricity emissions only; a full system footprint for a heat pump or air conditioner also includes refrigerant leakage, which the refrigerant GWP calculator covers separately.
Comparing heating choices across provinces
This is why the same heating system choice produces very different carbon outcomes depending on province. A heat pump in Quebec running on near-zero-carbon hydroelectricity produces a tiny fraction of the emissions of an identical heat pump in Alberta running on a gas-and-coal-heavy grid, even though both consume similar electrical energy for the same heating output. Use this calculator with your specific province selected to get an accurate comparison, then cross-reference against the heat pump vs furnace calculator to see both the cost and carbon dimensions of your heating system decision together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each province's electricity grid has a different generation mix. Quebec, Manitoba, and BC generate most electricity from hydroelectric power, giving very low grid emission factors, often under 30 g CO2/kWh. Alberta and Saskatchewan rely significantly on gas and coal, with factors that can exceed 400-600 g CO2/kWh. An electric heat pump in Quebec can have a dramatically lower carbon footprint than the identical unit in Alberta, purely from the electricity source. Select your province above for an accurate result.
In low-carbon-grid provinces like Quebec, BC, and Manitoba, switching from gas to a heat pump dramatically reduces emissions, often by 80% or more. In higher-carbon-grid provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan, the benefit is smaller and depends on the heat pump's COP at operating temperature; in some cold-climate scenarios the net reduction may be modest. Use this calculator with your actual province to compare your specific result rather than relying on a generic national assumption.
Heating oil emits about 2.75 kg CO2 per litre burned, versus roughly 1.88 kg CO2 per cubic metre of natural gas and 1.51 kg CO2 per litre of propane. This comes down to fuel chemistry: heating oil is a denser hydrocarbon with more carbon atoms per unit of fuel, so combustion releases proportionally more CO2 for the same volume. Homes still on oil heat, common in Atlantic Canada and rural Ontario/Quebec, typically see the largest emissions drop from switching to a heat pump or natural gas, independent of provincial grid factor.
The provincial grid factors used here reflect published annual averages from each province's electricity system operator and Environment and Climate Change Canada's National Inventory Report. Your utility may report a slightly different figure depending on the exact year and whether it includes transmission losses. For most homeowner and contractor purposes, these figures are accurate enough to compare fuel choices and provinces; for regulatory or offset reporting, use your utility's official figure for that billing year.