The full report is available from NRCan in Ottawa.
Heat pumps can significantly reduce primary energy use for building heating and cooling.
The modelling results show significant emission reductions in major cities in all regions of Canada. The impact of heating only is examined in residential buildings, whereas both heating and cooling impacts are examined in commercial and institutional buildings. The electrical energy required by the equipment can result in releases of CO 2 and NO x at the power plant. NO x , which also contribute to global warming. Leakage of refrigerants, used in both chillers and heat pumps, contributes to global warming.