How does Canada use energy?

Every day, 60% of the energy produced in Canada is consumed in Canada; the rest is exported.

The industrial sector accounts for almost half of Canada’s total energy use. The transportation sector is responsible for one quarter of Canada’s energy consumption. Commercial and residential each account for just over one eighth.

Canada ranks as the world's ninth-largest user of commercial energy. The country’s high energy consumption can be attributed to a number of factors:

• Cold climate
• Energy-intensive industrial base
• High standard of living
• Relatively low energy prices (due to Canada's proximity to abundant energy resources)
• Inefficient building stock and transportation systems
• Continued urban sprawl

To put our energy use into a global perspective, Canada has 0.5% of the world’s population but is responsible for 2.9% of annual global energy consumption. Our annual per capita consumption of 25 barrels of crude oil is double the average of countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and more than five times the world average.