Energy Consumption and Efficiency

As a result of their innovative, aesthetic and functional value, electric ranges have today become an essential consumer good in Canadian homes. They are as important and prevalent in today's consumer society as steam engines were by the end of the Industrial Revolution. Like the discovery and use of petroleum and electricity, they share the same story of universal adoption of a new technology by society in general. However, ranges are also one of the electric household appliances that consume the most electricity — accounting for close to thirteen percent of the energy consumed in modern households.

This high usage did not go unnoticed by the government. Over twenty-five years ago, in a move to reduce consumption, and thereby reduce electric power generation and its associated environmental impact, the Government of Canada established the “EnerGuide” program to increase public awareness, and to help Canadians compare the energy consumption and efficiency of different models on the market. By encouraging awareness and a reduction in energy consumption, the program also contributes to the fight against global warming.

Bibliography

Trottier, Louise. “Innovative Materials and Utilitarian Beauty as Incentives to the Consumption of Domestic Appliances in Ontario and Quebec, 1920–1990,” From Industrial Revolution to Consumer Revolution (Leicester: Association for Industrial Archaeology, 2002), 119–127. Excerpts from this article have been reprinted with permission from the Association.

Klingender, Franz. To Lighten the Burden of Womenkind: The Mechanization of Domestic Equipment, 1890–1960. Manuscript report, Ottawa: National Museum of Science and Technology, 1994.

About the author:

Louise Trottier is the curator, Energy and Natural Resources, for the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

For more information, contact:
Anna Adamek
Collection and Research
Canada Science and Technology Museum
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa, Ontario  K1G 5A3
CANADA

E-mail:
Telephone: 613-991-6705
Fax: 613-990-3636

Links:

Collection Profiles: Public Electric Lighting
Hydro-Québec: http://www.hydroquebec.com/learning