Ontario leading Canada in Air Quality: Report

Published on November 13, 2018

A recent report from Bruce Power and Asthma Canada has recognized nuclear power in Ontario as playing an integral role in helping the province reduce the amount of coal it burns to produce electricity, helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

By 2030, Canada has planned to get rid of all coal-fired electricity power plants, and has already reduced its coal use by 41 percent since the year 2000.

For Ontario to be able to achieve this level of success, the report notes that the refurbishment and return to service of four Bruce Power reactors played a significant role.

Mike Rencheck, President and CEO of Bruce Power, has said that the refurbished reactors provided 70 percent of the power that Ontario needed in order to be able to shut down coal-fired electricity power plants.

“Meeting energy demand in a clean and affordable way is possible, and Ontario is a perfect example of how,” Rencheck said.

The report called for other provinces to follow Ontario’s lead in reducing the amount of fossil fuels it burns, as the air quality improvements that lower coal consumption brings are beneficial to those who have asthma, allergies or other respiratory illnesses.

The phase-out of coal in Ontario has shown a significant decrease in smog advisory days, with only two being seen since 2013. This is a large reduction from the 30 smog advisory days that were seen in 2012.

In a report from the World Health Organization, Air pollution and child health: Prescribing clean air, it estimates that in 2016, 600 000 children died across the globe due to respiratory infections caused by polluted air.

This has lead the WHO to ask all countries worldwide to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel created energy, and to increase how efficiently their energy is being used - working to improve global air quality for the sake of children’s health and safety.

Improving Home Air Quality

If a homeowner is looking to improve their home’s level of air quality, an Air Tightness Test must first be conducted by a Registered Energy Advisor. This test provides both the homeowner and the advisor with a look at the level of air sealing within the building, as well as all locations where air is able escape.

Higher levels of air tightness are beneficial to air quality and interior comfort, as less exterior air carrying dust, allergens, or even smoke can find its way into the home’s interior. However, once air tightness is increased beyond a certain point, an increased amount of ventilation is required to maintain air quality.

Finding the right balance of air tightness to ventilation can be done by a Registered Energy Advisor, as they are able to conduct a Home Energy Assessment to evaluate an entire home in terms of energy efficiency - clearly laying out what the most cost-effective options are for the homeowner to improve their energy conservation.

Additionally, for homeowners in Ontario, our Registered Energy Advisors are happy to help you make sense of, and qualify for the many home renovation rebates that are currently available from Union Gas and Enbridge.