INUVIK
Inuvik's famous Igloo Church is finding cold comfort in the advent of spring.
Doug Robertson, the head of the parish council for Our Lady of Victory church, says the congregation is struggling with a huge increase in heating costs this winter. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo
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The church's parish council and congregation in the town's most famous building are reeling from a huge increase in heating costs following the changeover to synthetic natural gas in February.
The costs of heating the venerable structure have skyrocketed to an average of $3,400 a month, said Doug Robertson, head of the parish council. That's up from the average of $2,000 when the building was heated with natural gas.
"We don't bring that much money in from collections, so it's an issue. We have some ideas of what to do," Robertson said. "We have ideas, but not a lot of money.
"We're looking at a couple of things," he continued. "So we're now looking at investigating some grants for energy retrofitting."
The council is looking at possibly replacing the boiler, Robertson said. The church is heated by an older radiant heat system, he explained. While that offers some general cost-saving over a forced-air system, it also means it's impractical to turn the heat down during the many hours the church isn't used in a day. It simply takes too long for the building to warm back up for church services, he said, and most energy and heating experts recommend keeping a consistent temperature for better efficiency.
One of the main difficulties in heating and refitting the church is due to its unique dome, which sets the building apart from anything else in town. Robertson said the council is looking into possibilities for improving the insulation.
"It's a very high ceiling and since heat rises, it's a large, large volume to heat," he said. "And of course with the church being built in the late 1950s – to 1950s insulation standards – we need to improve it."
Another focus, Robertson said, is the church's windows.
"We're also looking at whether we can afford to heat the church throughout the year, and throughout the week." Robertson said.
The church is used for only a few hours a day, Robertson explained, when services are scheduled.
"But we're heating the building 24/7 for something that's rarely used," he said.
However, the church also has some valuable items, including paintings by the late Mona Thrasher, Robertson said, that need to be carefully maintained. Nor should the building be exposed to large fluctuations in temperature.
"So we're struggling with it, but we have the spring and summer to figure something out."
For the moment, the council is keeping up with the bills, but Robertson said that can't continue indefinitely.
On a good Sunday, there might be 100 people who attend a service, he said, and perhaps as much as half of Inuvik is Roman Catholic, Robertson estimated, but that means little at the moment.
"We have some money in the bank, so we're managing to pay the bills, but it can't go on forever."
He's heard rumours other churches in Inuvik are facing similar problems, but didn't have any specifics.
"I've heard other folks are struggling as well."
Other churches around Inuvik were contacted by the Inuvik Drum but none had responded by deadline.
Kevin Mackay, the general manager of Inuvik Gas, said he hadn't been informed of the situation.
"IGL (Inuvik Gas Ltd.) has not received a lot of feedback in the office, but I do hear in my travels around town some concerns," he stated in an e-mail. "I encourage any customer to stop by the office and discuss their gas usage, consumption and concerns related to their individual gas accounts."
Robertson said the church might take Mackay up on that offer.
"It couldn't hurt, right?" he said.
