Québec City, Québec — The province of Québec is banning the installation of oil-fired heating appliances in all new construction projects, as of Dec. 31. The announcement was made by the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, Benoit Charette.
As of Dec. 31, 2023, the installation of an oil-fired heater and the replacement of an oil-fired heater in existing buildings will be prohibited. The regulation also bans the repair of oil-fuelled heating systems over 20 years old or oil-fuelled water heaters over 10 years old.
“Today we are taking new action to reduce Québec’s dependence on fossil fuels and make a transition to clean energies,” explains Jonatan Julien, minister of energy and natural resources, and minister responsible for the Côte-Nord and Gaspésie – Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions. “Heating represents more than 60 per cent of a home’s energy consumption and, therefore, a significant proportion of its carbon footprint. With this flagship measure, we are crossing a new milestone so that Quebec homes are all heated by green energy.”
According to the Quebec government, oil-fuelled residential heating systems generate about one million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, which is the equivalent of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) of 300,000 light vehicles. Nearly 200,000 Québec households still use oil-fuelled heating systems. In addition to emitting GHGs, fuel oil generates, through its combustion, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, and fine particles. This is a source of soil contamination during leaks.
Exceptions are provided for residential buildings which are not connected to an “autonomous electricity distribution network” and for those not connected to another electricity distribution network.