Arctic Energy Alliance
#101, 5102 51st Street X1A 1S7 Yellowknife, NT, Canada

Thanks, Yellowknife Motors for letting us hang out and talk about electric vehicles.

Did you know there are two prices on every appliance you buy? The first is the purchase price. The second is the cost of the energy it uses over time. Using the appliance less (conserving energy) and buying a more efficient model are two ways to bring that second price down.... Let's say you bought a smaller (18 cu. ft.) refrigerator for $1,000 and own it for 13 years. A less-efficient model could cost more than $2,000 for energy over its lifetime (at $0.32/kWh). That's more than double the purchase price. The most efficient models could cost roughly half that amount for energy.

If you want to learn more about electric vehicles, remember to stop by Yellowknife Motors on Old Airport Road on Saturday. We'll be there from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We'll have info on our rebates and on EVs in general. You can test drive an EV. And there are door prizes. Hope to see you there!

Do high-efficiency furnaces work in the North? We're big fans of the energy savings that come with high-efficiency furnaces. But we've also heard that some people have had issues with water vapour freezing in their vent pipes. High-efficiency models don't really send hot gases up the chimney. Instead, they mainly release warm water vapour. If that vapour cools quickly, it can freeze. Less-efficient models, on the other hand, send some of their heat to the outdoors instead of ...keeping it inside your home where you need it. High-efficiency furnaces work best when they’re set up a little differently from less-efficient models. For example, it’s a good idea to run the intake and vent pipes horizontally, through an outside wall, rather than straight up through the ceiling. Vent pipes should be as short as your furnace model and home setup allow, so that moisture can vent quickly instead of condensing and freezing. And the portion of the intake pipe inside the heated area of your home should be as long as your furnace model and home setup allow, so that the cold outside air can warm up before it goes into the furnace. It also helps if your intake and vent pipes are on a side of the house that doesn’t get much wind. So high-efficiency furnaces can work well here. We just have to think a little differently about how they're set up.

Sealing up air leaks is a relatively easy way to save on your heating bills while dealing with cold spots in your home. Warm air can escape around places like baseboards, mouldings, doors, windows and electrical outlets. Things like caulking, weatherstripping and foam electrical plate sealers can stop those drafts and keep the heat where it belongs.

It's National Drive Electric Week! To celebrate, join us at Yellowknife Motors on Old Airport Road on Saturday. Stop by any time between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. We'll have info on our rebates and on EVs in general. You can test drive an EV. And there are door prizes. Hope to see you there!

Our 2019/20 annual report is now online. Check it out to see what we were up to last year. A few quick highlights: We gave out nearly $2 million in rebates and other incentives. The clients we worked with are expected to save $1.3 million a year on energy costs.... Those clients will save so much electricity each year that it's like taking two small NWT communities completely off the grid. They'll also reduce their greenhouse gases so much that it's like converting the power generation for the community of Wekweeti entirely to renewable electricity.

One of the simplest ways to save on your heating bills is with a programmable thermostat. It will automatically turn down the heat when you're scheduled to be away from home or asleep. And if you want to take things a step farther, you could go with a smart thermostat. It can sense when you're away from home, and you can control it with your phone. We have rebates on programmable thermostats: get 50% back, up to $100.

Energy saving tip: drain your hot water tank (but only a little bit). Draining a litre (or a quart) of water from your hot water tank every three months can remove some of the sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. The type of water tank you have determines the steps to take, so follow the manufacturer's advice.

Are solar panels a good idea? The short answer is sometimes. Renewable energy systems like solar panels are fantastic. But people can often save just as much on their power billswhile investing lessby conserving energy and purchasing energy-efficient products. If greenhouse gas emissions are on your mind, you may also want to consider that renewable electricity systems don't reduce GHGs in communities that use hydroelectricity.... However, if you already have an energy-efficient home or building and want to invest in solar panels, go for it! They're especially helpful if you're off-grid or you live in a community that doesn't use hydro. Just be sure to check with your local power company first to find out whether your community's power grid can support additional solar panels. We have rebates for solar panels in communities that don't use hydroelectricity and for off-grid buildings.

We're receiving funding from the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program to help communities plan for their future energy use to save money and fight climate change.

An on-demand hot water system doesn't store hot water in a tank. Instead it only heats water when you need it, saving energy (and money) in the process. We have rebates of $750 on ENERGY STAR certified on-demand water heaters.

What's a biomass boiler? Biomass refers to plant or animal material used to produce energy. Lots of people in the NWT already heat with biomassusing wood stoves and pellet stoves. A wood stove can only heat a small area and controlling the heat can be a challenge. A boiler, on the other hand, can heat an entire building with fine control. It can even be used to heat several buildings at once.... Biomass boilers work similarly to regular boilers but often burn wood pellets. Some models can burn cord wood or wood chips. Wood produces fewer greenhouse gases than oil or propane and is typically less expensive. It's also renewable! We have rebates on biomass boilers: up to $20,000 for residents and up to $50,000 for businesses, community governments and non-profits.

Our clients' projects from the 2019/20 fiscal year will save 2,500 megawatt-hours of electricity a year. That's like converting two small NWT communities completely to renewable power.

We’ll be in Hay River next week conducting home energy evaluations. We have one opening left at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 25. If you’re thinking about renovations, have high energy bills or have comfort issues like drafts, indoor frost or mold, an evaluation might be right for you. To book your spot, call us toll-free at 1-877-755-5855. The cost is $150 + GST. For more info: http://aea.nt.ca/energy-evaluations

Energy saving tip: immediately clean the lint trap after using the dryer. A clean lint trap will reduce energy use by 30%. (Hopefully, yours is easier to get to than this one ) Better yet, use a clothesline or a drying rack to use no electricity at all.

Now that we're turning up the thermostats again, remember: the house won't warm up faster if you crank the thermostat up past the temperature you want. Set it and let your heating system do its thing. For automatic controls (and savings), consider a programmable thermostat. Apply for a rebate and we can give you half your money back, up to $100.

Do you have a hot water tank? You can insulate it to hold in the heat (and keep more money in your wallet). Installing an insulating blanket is quick, easy and inexpensive.

If you're interested in creating a work of art for our building in either Yellowknife or Norman Wells (or both!), there's still time to submit a proposal. The deadline is Friday.

At the beginning of the 2019/20 fiscal year, we launched a new rebate program for non-profit organizations. Over the course of the year, 11 organizations received funding from the program. We gave out $130,000 in rebates to help with $350,000 worth of capital projects. Combined, those organizations will save nearly $80,000 a year in energy costs.

The weather's cooling off. Instead of turning up the thermostat, rock your mocs! (Or your socks.)

Energy saving tip: take a shower instead of a bath. A bath can use from 50 L to almost 100 L of hot water (15 to 25 gallons). A five-minute shower will use less than 40 L (10 gallons).