We get questions

The Centre for Energy’s portal is loaded with factual and statistical information about Canada’s energy system. But we still get questions, like this one.

Q:  How large a furnace would you need to heat a 2,000 square-foot bungalow?

A:  The best way to determine what size furnace you need is to conduct a heat loss calculation. Heat loss calculations are based not only on size, but on floor plan; type, amount and effectiveness of insulation; how well the house is sealed; type of windows, doors, roofing and skylights.

The Canadian Standards Association describes such a method in its CSA F280, “Determining the Required Capacity of Residential Space Heating and Cooling Appliances. It is available from the CSA in PDF format for $75 and hardcopy for $85.

The residential energy assessment initiative has been developed by the Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to help property owners make retrofit choices that improve the comfort and energy efficiency of their home and arrange a home energy audit.

The OEE also provides detailed information about the various types of heating appliances and corresponding fuels through a number of downloadable brochures.

Furnace sizing can also be calculated using previous utility bills. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a section on its website called “Replacing Your Furnace”. The second part of that section provides a furnace sizing calculation using this method.

Got a question?
Send it to infoservices@centreforenergy.com – we’ll answer it and might even publish it on Flow.