New Brunswick has among the highest carbon emissions from heating in the world. More than 30 percent of electricity generated in New Brunswick comes from imported fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and heavy oil, most of which is burned in winter to meet electric heating needs. 

As a result, the province’s citizens are highly vulnerable to energy price increases because the province’s households rely heavily on electric heating. 

New Brunswick is home to five wood pellet plants that produce approximately 350,000 tonnes per year. This fuel has an energy content of over six Peta Joules (PJ) and could replace all heat from electricity, oil, and natural gas consumed by commercial and institutional buildings in New Brunswick.