More Canadians using air conditioning to beat the heat, says Statistics Canada

National Post

3 days ago

A new report from Statistics Canada says just over two-thirds, or 68 per cent, of Canadian household are reporting use of air conditioning or cooling systems such as heat pumps to beat the heat of summer. That's up from 64 per cent in 2021.
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Air conditioning can offset some of the health and safety effects of heat waves, says StatCan but the agency is also urging Canadians to conserve energy by turning the a/c down when they aren't home.
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Air conditioner ownership varies across Canada.
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People in newer homes were predictably more likely to have an air conditioner: 80 per cent of homes built in 2001 and later, compared with 58 per cent of homes built before 1960.
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Air conditioning was also more prevalent among homeowners (76 per cent) than renters (52 per cent). It was also more likely in households with higher incomes (82 per cent of those earning more than $150,000 before taxes) than by households with lower incomes (55 per cent among those earning less than $50,000).
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There were no differences based on age.
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Atlantic Canadians prefer to maintain slightly cooler temperatures than other regions of the country, at 19.8 C. Natural Resources Canada suggests an indoor thermostat range of 22 C to 25 C.
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As of 2025, just over half (51 per cent) of Canadians with an air conditioner reported turning it off or down when they go away on vacation for one week or longer, says StatCan. Households in the Prairies (56 per cent) and British Columbia (56 per cent) are most likely to do so.
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Meanwhile, only a third (28 per cent) of folks out of town for the weekend reported turning air conditioning off or down while away. Adults aged 30 to 44 years were most likely, compared with people 60 years and older. About 26 per cent of people aged 15 to 64 years reported turning it off or down while at work or school.
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People aged 75 years and older (25 per cent) were more likely to turn down their air conditioning for short absences, compared to people aged 45 to 59 (18 per cent).
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The vast majority (82 per cent) of Canadians said they want to avoid wasting energy.
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The second most-cited reason was to prolong the lifespan of their cooling equipment (7 per cent). This answer was more prevalent among people aged 30 to 59 years.