Zkuq said:
I don't think we use much gas here in Finland, and we're alright in winter too. I think it's usually storms that cause power outages here, not snowfall. A quick investigation on Wikipedia kind of hints at Finland getting more snow in general than Canada, although apparently you get more snow in autumn, whereas here in Finland the heaviest snowfall is usually in something like January-February. Anyway, for the least densely populated areas, I don't doubt gas is a good choice, but if you need it even in more densely populated areas, I suspect choices have been made to favour gas instead of finding ways to manage even without it. It'd actually be somewhat interesting to learn what the history is behind our different paths in energy usage. |
The electricity distribution operator Elenia invests in substantial underground cabling aiming for 75% by 2028 to meet outage requirements and adapt to climate change impacts such as extreme weather events. This enhances energy supply security and cost savings, supported by collaboration with telecommunications companies and technology integration.
The difference is overhead lines are the norm in rural areas here. It's not so much the snow causing outages, it's the trees buckling under the snow that take out the lines, and then the snow hampers repairs.
Yet otherwise, it's also a matter of not having all your eggs in one basket like internet, phone and cable tv are now all in one line.
Ice storms are the worst
https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/local/article/power-outages-persist-in-hard-hit-areas-after-ontario-ice-storm/
Some Ontario regions hard hit by last weekend's ice storm may not recover power until the end of the week, Hydro One said Tuesday as crews and communities braced for more freezing rain in the coming days.
The utility provider said power has been restored to more than 783,000 homes and businesses since the start of the storm, but its outage map still listed about 215,000 affected customers as of Tuesday night. Repairs in areas including Orillia and Peterborough could take until Friday.
There are more outages in summer from lightning and wind storms, but those are generally repaired quickly. And losing AC for a few hours is nothing compared to a week without power in the winter. We have a gas fireplace with thermostat control by batteries, so can always use that.
Anyway water heaters and central heating are all gas here. Gas is also cheaper here than electricity. The difference in keeping the house warm (20c/21c) in winter with gas, versus keeping it cool (24c/25c) in summer is several hundred dollars a month.
AI response: Canadian natural gas prices are generally lower than those in Finland, influenced by factors like abundant resources, competitive markets, and low extraction costs.
Canada produces pretty much all of the gas it uses, however since 98% of our production is in the West, the East imports half of its consumption from the US, while the West exports half of its production to the US.
We need more Trans Canada pipelines to cut out the US!
Anyway, my main reason is, I don't like turning my house into a single point failure system! It's really nice to still be able to cook or grill dinner when the power fails :) Also hospitals use gas powered generators as backup.
