Arctic Alliance recently secured $250,000 from the federal government to help you.

Steven Fancott of Arctic Energy Alliance and Yvonne Pandke explained the programs at Centre Square mall on Wednesday. - Jennifer McPhee/NNSL photo

Four programs aimed at helping residents and businesses save energy and cut costs are now available through a partnership between the Arctic Energy Alliance and the Department of Natural Resources.

The Arctic Energy Alliance will conduct a walk-through of your house for about $125. Evaluators gather information about your home's structure, insulation, windows, doors, heating and ventilation systems.

The information is then plugged into a computer and analyzed.

"The customer then gets a report broken down into recommendations on how to improve the situation," said AEA's energy specialist Steven Fancott.

If you make the changes, Arctic Energy Alliance will do a follow-up report on your savings.

Another program promotes cost-efficient and energy-efficient building practices and technologies. Builders, trained in the art of energy-efficient construction, will design and construct homes that use 30 to 50 per cent less energy.

Arctic Energy Alliance will promote, but not deliver, two other federal programs that provide incentives for building and retrofitting commercial buildings and institutions.

For instance, the federal government is enticing businesses to build energy-efficient homes by offering them two times the amount they'll eventually save (to a maximum of $60,000).

Yvonne Pandke, a spokesperson for Natural Resources, said the federal government partnered with a local group, because it's the most effective mode of program delivery.

"People feel more comfortable going to a local agency," she said.

And Northland Utilities is contributing by referring customers to Arctic Energy Alliance for home evaluation. The company will provide data about consumption trends with permission of its customers.

Consumer Services manager Allen Mueller said Northland Utilities said there is a need for this service.

"Customers have requested this help for a long time now."