What happens when you cut the gas line?

The Globe and Mail featured an interview with Blair Scorgie, a resident of nearby Leslieville who has all but cut off his gas (he hopes to replace his stove soon!) The interview is heavy on numbers, but shows that these kinds of home retrofits are happening across the city right now!

With the global community hunkered down in Glasgow at COP26 and the timelines for confronting climate change growing increasingly constrained, countries like Canada face tough choices, not just about policy fixes, but also what individuals can or should do to reduce their carbon footprint.

According to Canada’s climate inventory, natural gas accounted for almost half of all home heating energy consumption in 2017, and that proportion is even higher for water. And in Greater Toronto, according to the Atmospheric Fund, buildings generated about 42 per cent of all greenhouse gases, and much of that comes from natural gas furnaces and boilers.

Some homeowners are now trying to cut or eliminate their gas use by installing electric heat pumps. With natural gas prices rising because of global shortages and carbon pricing, the return on investment for such retrofits is beginning to look increasingly attractive.

Toronto planner Blair Scorgie, an associate at SvN Architects + Planners, discusses his recent project.

Read the rest of the article on the Globe and Mail website.

What happens when you cut the gas line?

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