2022: Most heating required on record since at least 1987

We experienced it all in 2022.

A wet and unusually cold spring even for Vancouver. A late summer that advanced well into October, making the city experience less than 10% of the average of rain for the period. And a grand finale during Holiday Season, when a cold snap brought record-breaking low temperatures to the region not seen in almost 40 years.   

As a result of these extremes, Vancouver saw the sharpest variation in Heating Degree Days (HDDs) since at least 1987, according to data collected by PUMA. The chart below, updated to include 2022 data, shows the city had 14% more HDDs than the 30-year average.

HDDs are a key figure for predicting building energy use and are directly calculated from the weather and an industry standard balance point of 15 degrees Celsius. The balance point is the temperature below which a building requires heating.   

“Weather is a primary driver for energy use,” says Duncan Wilcock, Client Services Lead at PUMA.

“The changing climate over the past 30 years has had a significant impact on how buildings use energy. We can help our clients explain why adjusting and considering the weather is essential for understanding their building’s utility use,” he adds.