
Is Canada really that cold? And can't we just crank up the thermostat?
One person's chill is another person's thrill. For some, cold days are about iced-over ponds, hitting the slopes, and even taking part in the popular activity of cold plunging in the great outdoors. For others, cold days are an excuse to stay cozy indoors with a steaming cup of cocoa and wool sweater.
How well do we really know our winters and how to survive them? Test your sub-zero smarts with our helpful list of myths and facts around Canadian cold and how we choose to deal with it.
1. Wind chill isn't real
Myth: We may joke that "minus-30 with the wind chill" is less about science than sensationalizing a news story (or a winter survival tale to a friend). But the fact is that our body's best defence against the cold is a thin layer of warm air next to our skin. As the wind gets stronger, that layer disappears and is replaced by cold air. And we really feel that chill.
2. Heat pumps only work when the outside air feels warm
Myth: This one can be hard to get your head around, but the science is that there's warmth to be mined from the air, even at extremely low temperatures. The hero of the air source heat pump is the refrigerant, which starts out colder than the outside air. Through a heat exchanger, it comes in contact with that warmer outside air and transforms from liquid to gas (a refrigerant's boiling point is usually lower than -25°C). A heat pump gets less efficient at lower temperatures, but cold-climate models are designed to be effective in temperatures as low as -30°C.
3. Canada is the coldest nation in the world
Fact: Based on the averaging of minimum and maximum daily temperatures over the course of the year, we are the coldest. Our average is -5.6°C, even colder than second-place Russia (-3.79°C) and the likes of Iceland, Norway, and Mongolia.
4. You can play golf outdoors in B.C. in January
Fact: At least three B.C. courses remain open 12 months a year, and they just happen to be three outstanding courses. Two are on Vancouver Island – Arbutus Ridge and Olympic View – while the other is Richmond's Mayfair Lakes. The big question: If a water hazard freezes over, is that wayward shot now out of bounds or is it playable?
5. It's costly to monitor electricity use in your home
Myth: Our MyHydro tools are free and provide home energy use information by month, day, and hour. The free HydroHome app provides more detailed info, goal setting and coaching, and if you buy one of our energy monitors, you can get real-time energy use information.
6. Hypothermia can be deadly just minutes after falling into icy water
Myth: The truth is that panic, and drowning that can result from it, is the main cause of quick deaths from falling into deeply cold water. According to the world's leading hypothermia researcher, PhD Gordon Giesbrecht of the University of Manitoba, hypothermia caused by icy water only becomes dangerous after about 30 minutes. The advice from Giesbrecht, is to take the first minute after falling into extremely cold water to calm yourself, and the next 10 minutes to find a way out of the water.
7. The higher you set your thermostat, the quicker your room heats up
Myth: It's a common mistake, and one that kids and teens often fall prey to. The only thing you accomplish by cranking up a thermostat in an attempt to warm a cold room is to make it so warm that you waste energy and eventually need to readjust the temperature.
8. You'll warm up your car's interior faster by driving than by idling
Fact: While it's tempting to let your car idle for a few minutes in the morning to warm the vehicle's interior, most experts say a one-minute warmup is all you need to prepare it for winter travel (unless your vehicle's defrost takes longer to clear your windows). Any longer and you're just wasting gas and electricity – and you'll get toasty in the car much more quickly by driving it than by letting it idle. One big exception: plugged in, your electric vehicle heats up nicely before you hit the road.
9. For home comfort in winter, keep your home at 21°C
Myth: With baseboard heaters in particular, only heat the rooms you're using, and only when you're home and not sleeping. If you're exercising or doing housework, a temperature of 18°C will be most comfortable. Overnight, you may sleep more soundly (and save a lot on your heating bill) by setting the temperature to 16°C or 17 °C. Only when sitting and reading or watching TV should you set your thermostat to 21°C.
10. With a heat pump, a hands-off approach works best
Fact: While scheduling or tweaking baseboard heaters for different temperatures throughout the day and night is a good idea, the rule of thumb with heat pumps is "set it and forget it." Heat pumps run most efficiently when holding a steady temperature, so find a temperature setting you're most comfortable with and try to minimize changes.
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