Almost 2/3 (63%) of the energy we use in our homes here in Ontario goes towards space heating (1).
It’s no wonder why your insurance company seems so interested in the choices you make when it comes to our home heating.
We’ve partnered with Erie Mutual Insurance to produce this article all about home heating and home insurance.
HOW IS YOUR HOME HEATED?
According to Natural Resources Canada stats from 2018 (2), your home is most likely heated by a high efficiency natural gas furnace, but there is a significant percentage of homes heated in other ways as well.
- Natural Gas – High Efficiency – 52.0%
- Natural Gas – Medium Efficiency – 15.5%
- Electric – 12.7%
- Heat Pump – 6.6%
- Heating Oil – 6.2%
- Coal and propane – 1.1%
- Wood – 1%
WHY HOME HEATING MATTERS TO YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
An insurance company is focused on evaluating risk. The higher the risk they deem you and your property to be, the higher the home insurance premium you will likely be asked to pay.
When it comes to your home heating appliance, they’re not all the same in terms of risk level.
For example, if you’re one of the 6.2% of Ontario homes that use an oil heating systems, you’re at a higher risk due to the chance of there being a costly and dangerous spill.
It’s important to remember that faulty home heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires (3) and that a good insurance company will assist you with loss prevention efforts in order to reduce the chances of you suffering a worst case scenario.
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF A HOME HEATING RELATED DISASTER
There are things you can do to help keep your insurance costs low while also keeping your family safer and warmer at the same time.
1. Reduce the strain on your home heating appliance.
The best way to do this is by sealing any cracks around windows, doors and flooring to make the heating of your home more efficient.
2. Have your system inspected annually.
This should be done by a licensed and trusted professional (*COUGH* Grand River Heating *COUGH*) in order to proactively identify and resolve issues before they become a problem.
3. Keep up simple DIY maintenance.
Changing a furnace filter is one of the easiest home maintenance tasks you can do and should be done at least a couple times per year (i.e. at the start or and end of the winter season). Not regularly changing your furnace filter can cause health concerns and a serious furnace failure (4).
4. Give your home heating appliance enough space.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid storing anything within 3 feet of the equipment.
As Canadian’s we already know how important a reliable home heating system is. Helping to make sure we’re not paying more than we need to for home insurance is another reason to add to the list.
If you have any questions about your home heating equipment please contact us anytime.
If you’d like to learn more about home insurance or other loss prevention tips please visit www.eriemutual.com.
SOURCES:
3 – Fire-Alert.ca
4 – HVAC.com