Laval to ban installation of new natural gas appliances

Isabelle Barroso has been cooking and heating her home with gas her whole life and can't imagine anything else. But that might have to change as Laval is set to become the first municipality in Quebec to ban the installation of new natural gas appliances.

"I always thought gas was clean energy," said Barroso.

"A lot of people will have a hard time adapting to anything other than gas, not just for cooking but for heating […] I'm not a scientist, but I will follow the studies and adapt if I have to."

Alexandre Warnet, who sits on Laval's executive committee and is the person responsible for the environment, said this is an important step toward decarbonizing buildings since natural gas represents about six per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec.

"Natural gas for us is clearly not a transition energy. We have the chance to produce green electricity. So, we don't have any excuse to use a product that is mainly composed of methane, which is a destructive energy," he said.

At the beginning of April, the city adopted a resolution that would allow it to draft a bylaw banning natural gas appliances and heating systems in residential units. The ban would not affect homes with existing natural gas heating systems or appliances, though tackling those would be a next step.

"The first step is really making sure that we build a dam stopping the flow of natural gas," said Warnet. "We really want to make sure natural gas is not an option."

Too much demand, says Hydro-Québec

But Hydro-Québec says in order for it to meet power demands, some natural gas options need to stay on the table. Maxence Huard Lefebvre, a spokesperson for the state-owned energy provider, says it expects a 14 per cent power increase over the next 10 years.

"We all share the same goal of decarbonization, but it's very important to do it with a big picture in mind," he said.

Hydro-Québec and natural gas distributor Énergir have a partnership that aims to replace heating systems fuelled solely by natural gas with dual-energy systems.

This means buildings can be heated with electricity most of the time, with natural gas being used only in very cold weather — reducing how much electricity is needed in winter.

"For us, it's very important that the dual-energy offer we have can go forward," said Lefebvre.

"We cannot electrify everything every time."

But Laval says it plans to discuss its intentions with Hydro-Québec and that a plan will be outlined in the draft bylaw.