Furnaces throughout Saskatchewan were busier this April than in past years. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

More Natural Gas

SaskEnergy reports big increase in natural gas usage through April

May 4, 2022 | 8:00 AM

With temperatures expected to break into the mid to high 20s this week, many Saskatchewan residents are shutting off their furnaces for what they hope is the last time until next winter.

Right through April, however, those furnaces were working overtime.

A colder April littered with snowstorms and freezing temperatures meant furnaces were running all the way through the month. For SaskEnergy, this meant they were moving a lot more natural gas than in a typical April.

“We have seen higher overall winter demand because the province was about seven per cent colder than average this year,” said Shirley Xie, senior communications officer with SaskEnergy. “In particular, in April, we have seen 19 per cent colder temperatures than a normal April, which translates to we are supplying 30 per cent more natural gas in the month of April compared to a normal April.”

The good news is the spike in demand isn’t anything SaskEnergy wasn’t prepared for. The largest swings in demand tend to occur in months with the largest swings in temperature, and that means April is often one of their weirder months in general.

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“We can see temperatures fluctuate from -20 C to 20 C,” said Xie. “So our system is able to handle those kinds of large swings.”

For many Saskatchewan residents, this is the latest into April they’ve left their furnaces on in quite some time. With that in mind, SaskEnergy reminded anyone using their furnace this late in the year about some safety precautions.

“We recommend regular furnace filter changes every month or two to make sure your furnace is running as efficiently as it can,” said Xie. “In addition, annual furnace maintenance or home heating tune-ups, either from your local SaskEnergy network member or qualified plumbing and heating contractors, will make sure your furnace is operating properly and at peak efficiency.”

Xie also said that as snow melts, debris tends to get left behind and some of it can blow in front of vents and block the release of carbon monoxide. The freeze-thaw cycle of much of this past April can leave vents blocked as well.

“We want to make sure the ventilation in your home is running properly and that sufficient air is coming in and out,” said Xie, “either for your appliances to be able to burn properly and to avoid any sort of carbon monoxide buildup in the house.”

Xie also said making sure carbon monoxide detectors are working is a good habit to get into.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP