An energy advisor can help you determine your home's energy efficiency. They'll provide you with advice on which heating system will best suit your needs.
Wood and wood pellet heat
Advantages of wood heat
- Firewood is available all over the Yukon, including fire and beetle-killed wood.
- Wood is a renewable resource.
Disadvantages of wood heat
- The supply of wood relies on using fossil fuels to cut, gather and transport wood to your home.
- Storing wood and creosote build up in your chimney can be a fire hazards.
- It requires yearly chimney maintenance and cleaning.
- Burning wood inefficiently contributes to air pollution.
- Splitting, stacking, hauling and cleaning up are labour intensive.
Advantages of wood pellet heat
- Clean burning if adjustments are correct; wood pellet burning appliances operate at lower emission levels than natural wood appliances.
- Environmentally friendly
- Relatively inexpensive
- You can burn pellets without constant attention.
- You can buy attachments to heat water for your home.
Disadvantages of wood pellet heat
- The pellets supply comes from outside the Yukon.
- Pellet moisture content varies and the quality can be inconsistent.
- Most appliances are sidewall vented. This means you'll see soot on your home walls.
- There may be additional costs to your home insurance.
- You have to maintain your system with a yearly tune up and removing pellet dust on a regular basis.
See the Guide to Residential Wood Heating from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Oil burning heating systems
Advantages of oil burning heating systems
- Simple to use
- Can be efficient and relatively clean burning
- Can be used to supply heat for domestic hot water
Disadvantages of oil burning heating systems
- Oil supply depends on outside suppliers.
- Oil spills and storage tank leaks can be costly to clean up.
- You have to get your oil-burning systems inspected and maintained every year.
- Insurance coverage is expensive.
- Home oil prices fluctuate so it's difficult to budget for long-term heating.
See Heating with Oil from Natural Resources Canada
Propane heat
Natural gas is not available for home heating in the Yukon. We use containerized propane or liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
Advantages of propane heat
- Simple, only minor maintenance and inspection
- Can be very efficient and clean burning
- You must have an annual inspection. The system requires minimal burner maintenance.
- Used for space heaters, furnaces or boilers
- No mess, no direct environmental issues
- Can supply heat for domestic hot water
- No insurance coverage issues
Disadvantages of using propane heat
- Propane supply relies on outside suppliers.
- Prices fluctuate so it's difficult to budget for long-term heating.
- Storage tanks may need heaters to keep the fuel vaporized at cold temperatures.
See Heating with Gas from Natural Resources Canada
Earth energy
Heat pumps draw stored heat energy in the earth or ground water to heat your home.
Advantages of earth energy systems
- Very efficient at all outside temperatures
- Some systems can provide heating or cooling.
- No mess, no direct environmental issues
- This is not a combustion appliance so you do not need to worry about fuel gas spills or carbon monoxide leaks.
- Can supply heat for domestic hot water
- No insurance coverage issues
Disadvantages of earth energy systems
- These systems have a high installation cost.
- There are complex systems to set up and tune up.
- Requires periodic maintenance by qualified personnel
- Most appropriate for use with radiant heat
- Requires electricity to operate
Air source heat pumps
Air source heat pumps use latent heat energy in the air to heat your home in the winter.
Advantages of using air source heat pumps
- Very efficient at moderate winter temperatures
- The cost to install these pumps is moderate compared to a Ground Source system.
- Some systems can provide heating or cooling.
- No mess, no direct environmental issues
- No fuel storage or spills
- Can supply heat to domestic hot water
- No insurance coverage issues
Disadvantages of using air source heat pumps
- Only functional to around -20 C
- You need a back-up heating source for colder days.
- These systems are complex to set up and tune up.
- Requires periodic maintenance by qualified personnel
- Most appropriate for use with radiant heat
- Requires electricity to operate
See Heating and Cooling with a Heat Pump from Natural Resources Canada.
Electric heat
Advantages of electric heat
- No direct environmental issues
- Low to no maintenance
- Adaptable to a variety of home heating configurations and independent heat control in separate rooms
- No fuel storage or spillage issues
- No insurance coverage issues
- Can supply domestic hot water
Disadvantages of electric heat
- Depends on a combination of hydro and diesel generators. No heat during power interruptions.
- Increased use puts a demand on the Yukon's power grid.
- Electrical rate increases may occur over time.
See Heating your home with Electricity from Natural Resources Canada.
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