Grade by Grade
E. Liveable Communities · Liveable Communities: Land Use and Sustainability in Canada

Powering Communities: Energy Decisions and Sustainability

E2.3 A1.5 A2.3About 75 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe where Canada's and Ontario's energy comes from and how it is used in communities.
  • I can analyse how government policies, corporate decisions and individual choices affect energy production and consumption.
  • I can assess the implications of energy decisions for the environmental, social and economic sustainability of communities, including remote and Indigenous communities.
  • I can calculate electricity use and cost in kilowatt-hours.

Words to know

energy consumption
The amount of energy used by people, buildings, vehicles and industries.
renewable energy
Energy from sources that are naturally replenished, such as water (hydro), wind, sunlight, biomass and geothermal heat.
non-renewable energy
Energy from sources that cannot be replaced in a human lifetime, such as coal, oil, natural gas and uranium.
kilowatt-hour (kWh)
A unit of electrical energy: using 1 000 watts for 1 hour. Electricity bills are measured in kWh.
carbon pricing
A policy that puts a cost on greenhouse gas emissions to encourage people and companies to emit less.
energy efficiency
Using less energy to get the same result, for example LED bulbs or a well-insulated house.
heat pump
An electric device that moves heat from outside air (or ground) into a building in winter and out in summer; much more efficient than ordinary electric heaters.
diesel generator
A machine that burns diesel fuel to make electricity; many remote communities not connected to a power grid depend on them.

Hook: flip the switch

When you flip a light switch in Ontario, the electricity might come from a nuclear station on Lake Ontario, a hydro dam at Niagara Falls, a wind farm, or a natural gas plant. In some remote northern communities, it comes from a diesel generator in the middle of town, fed by fuel flown in or trucked over a winter road.

Who decides how energy is made and used, and what does that mean for the future of our communities?

Where Ontario's electricity comes from (approximate shares in recent years)Nuclear ~50%Hydro ~25%Gas, wind,solar, bio ~25%Canada as a whole: about 60% of electricity comes from hydro.Coal: Ontario's last coal-fired power plant stopped burning coal in 2014.
Most of Ontario's electricity comes from sources that release very little greenhouse gas while running (nuclear and hydro). Exact shares change from year to year, so check the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) for current numbers.

How communities use energy

In Canada, energy is used for:

  • Buildings: heating (a big deal in our cold winters), cooling, lighting, appliances. Many Ontario homes still heat with natural gas.
  • Transportation: mostly gasoline and diesel, with a growing number of electric vehicles.
  • Industry: factories, mines, oil and gas production, agriculture.

Energy choices affect sustainability in all three ways: greenhouse gases and air quality (environmental), affordable bills and reliable power for everyone (social), and jobs, costs and investment (economic).

Three levels of decisions that shape energy useGovernmentslaws and regulationsbuilding codescarbon pricingenergy planningincentivesCorporationswhat energy they buyefficient factoriesproducts they makewhere they locateinvestmentsIndividualshome heating and coolinghow we travelwhat we buywhen we use powervoting and voicing viewsEach level influences the others: rules shape business choices, and customers shape both.
Energy use in a community depends on decisions at three levels. The arrows show that they push on each other in both directions.

Government policies

  • Phasing out coal: Ontario's last coal-fired power plant stopped burning coal in 2014, and Alberta ended coal-fired power in 2024. This greatly reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from electricity.
  • Carbon pricing: Canada has used carbon pricing to make emitting more expensive. In April 2025 the federal government set the consumer fuel charge (the price on gasoline and home heating fuels) to zero; carbon pricing for large industrial emitters continues. Debates about the best policy continue.
  • Electricity planning: Ontario is refurbishing nuclear reactors and building small modular reactors at its Darlington site, while also adding storage and other new supply. Planners must keep power reliable as demand grows from population, electric vehicles and industry.
  • Building codes and efficiency programs: rules and rebates for insulation, efficient windows and heat pumps.
  • Pricing: Ontario's time-of-use and ultra-low overnight electricity prices reward using power when demand is low.

Corporate decisions

Companies decide what energy they use, how efficient their buildings and factories are, and what products they make. Some sign long-term contracts for renewable electricity; others build new plants that need large amounts of power. Utilities decide where to build lines and generating stations.

Individual decisions

People choose how they heat and cool their homes, how they travel, what they buy, and when they use electricity. They also influence policy through voting and by speaking up.

Remote and Indigenous communities

Many remote First Nations in northern Ontario, and many communities in the territories, are not connected to the provincial or territorial power grids and have relied on diesel generators. Diesel is expensive, has to be transported long distances, causes local air pollution and risks fuel spills, and generators can limit how many new homes and buildings a community can connect.

Wataynikaneyap Power, a transmission company majority-owned by 24 First Nations, has been connecting 17 remote First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario to the provincial grid; by mid-2026, 16 of the 17 had been connected. Many First Nations across Canada also own or co-own solar, wind and hydro projects. These projects connect energy to self-determination, local jobs and long-term community planning.

Worked example

Let's calculate electricity use and cost

(a) A 1 500 W space heater runs 6 hours a day for 30 days. How many kWh does it use? At an example price of $0.12 per kWh, what does it cost? (b) Replacing a 60 W incandescent bulb with a 9 W LED that gives the same light, used 4 hours a day for a year: how many kWh are saved?

  1. Energy (kWh) = power (kW) × time (h). Convert watts to kilowatts by dividing by 1 000.
  2. (a) 1 500 W = 1.5 kW. Hours = 6 × 30 = 180 h. Energy = 1.5 × 180 = 270 kWh.
  3. Cost = 270 × $0.12 = $32.40.
  4. (b) The difference in power = 60 − 9 = 51 W = 0.051 kW.
  5. Hours per year = 4 × 365 = 1 460 h. Savings = 0.051 × 1 460 = 74.46 kWh per year for one bulb.

(a) 270 kWh, costing about $32.40 at $0.12/kWh. (b) About 74.5 kWh saved per year per bulb.

Just for fun

Funny but true: a heat pump can keep a house warm in a Canadian winter by pulling heat out of the cold outdoor air. It sounds like making lemonade out of snow, but it works because even freezing air still holds some heat energy.

Hands-on activity

Home energy detective

You need: a notebook, your home's electricity bill (ask a grown-up), and a look around your home.

  1. On the bill, find the total kWh used and the billing period. Calculate the average kWh per day.
  2. Find the wattage label on three appliances (often on the back or bottom). With a grown-up, estimate how many hours a day each one is used and calculate kWh per month.
  3. Walk through your home and list five ways energy could be saved (for example, LED bulbs, lowering the thermostat by 1 °C at night, sealing drafty windows, running the dishwasher at off-peak times).
  4. Rank your ideas by how easy they are and how much energy you think they save.

What to look for: correct kWh calculations (watts ÷ 1 000 × hours), and practical ideas. (Do not unplug or open any appliance; just read labels. Never touch electrical outlets or wires.)

Your turn

1

What share of Ontario's electricity comes from nuclear power, roughly?

2

Give one example each of a government policy, a corporate decision and an individual choice that affect energy.

3

A 2 000 W kettle runs a total of 15 minutes a day for 30 days. How many kWh does it use?

4

Why is relying on diesel generators a sustainability problem for remote communities?

5

What happened to coal-fired electricity in Ontario?

6

Why do Ontario's lower overnight prices help the electricity system?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is a kilowatt-hour?

2

Name two renewable energy sources.

3

Convert 750 W to kW.

4

What does a heat pump do?

5

Which source makes about 60% of Canada's electricity?

More practice: on your own

1

Explain how Wataynikaneyap Power connects energy to self-determination.

2

A family uses 25 kWh a day. At $0.12/kWh, what is the cost for 30 days?

3

Why did phasing out coal improve sustainability in Ontario?

4

Give one argument for and one against carbon pricing on consumers.

5

Why does growing demand from electric vehicles and new industries matter for energy planning?

Challenge

1

Replacing 20 incandescent bulbs (60 W) with LEDs (9 W), each used 3 hours a day: how many kWh are saved per year, and what is the saving at $0.12/kWh?

2

Assess the implications of building more nuclear power for the sustainability of Ontario communities.

3

A municipality wants to cut energy use in homes by 20% in 10 years. Propose a plan with one government, one corporate and one individual action, and explain how they connect.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Roughly half of Ontario's electricity comes from:

2.

A 1 000 W microwave runs 30 minutes a day for 10 days. Energy used:

3.

Which is a CORPORATE decision affecting energy?

4.

Ontario's last coal-fired power plant stopped burning coal in:

5.

Why is Wataynikaneyap Power significant?

6.

Lower overnight electricity prices encourage people to:

For parents and teachers

Your electricity bill is a great learning tool; even just finding the kWh number helps. Safety: the activity is about reading labels only; teens should not open, unplug or handle appliances or outlets. Carbon pricing and nuclear power are topics where people disagree; encourage your teen to explain different perspectives and support a view with evidence. Common difficulty: forgetting to convert watts to kilowatts (÷ 1 000) or minutes to hours (÷ 60). Energy policies change often, so check dates on any sources you find.