That's because they're in store for a huge jump in electricity rates.
It's all explained in a letter to the chairman of the NWT Public Utilities Board.
The electric company says a Northwest Territories Power Corp. general rate application (GRA), combined with an increase in the share of power costs paid by residential customers, will result in a big hike in Yellowknife homeowners' power bills.
"It is anticipated that the "rate shock" will be in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 per cent when the impacts of the NWTPC GRA are taken into account," a Northland lawyer wrote in a Sept. 30 letter to the board.
Northland buys its power from NWTPC and then sells it to the city. Public hearings for the GRA begin in November.
The corporation has no comment on Northland's prediction.
"We'll be filing some new information with the Public Utilities Board next week that could affect a number of things in our application," said corporation spokesman Bill Braden.
Northland and the city are currently trying to settle Northland's own GRA.
The two negotiated a rate agreement for this year and the next.
The board, which has the last word in all GRAs, rejected it, saying residential customers are not paying their fair share and commercial users and the city are paying too much.
Board policy states all groups must pay between 95 and 105 per cent of the actual cost of delivering their power.
But Northland recently offered to hike the residential portion of their agreement with the city from 91 per cent to 91.5 per cent for the current year and 92.5 per cent next year.
The proposal, which has been endorsed by the city, is currently before the board.
The Northland GRA, however, accounts for only 25 per cent of the cost of power to Yellowknifers. The Power Corporation GRA applies to the remainder.