Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 29/05) - Several businesses and offices in the NWT are attempting to battle against ever-rising power bills.

The Inuvik Northmart was one of the first stores to undergo an energy use assessment in June in a round of audits supported by Arctic Energy Alliance and the NWT Power Corporation.

As one of the largest buildings in Inuvik at about 48,000 square feet, energy use needed to run the store is significant, said store manager Cliff Stringer.

"Our lighting and refrigeration units are the two biggest electricity users," he said.

"The audit opened my eyes to little things I wasn't even aware of."

Upgrades to the store's lighting units meant a power savings that balanced out the extended store hours that happened around the same time.

Better use of the furnace and insulation on the back doors are just a couple of the changes already implemented since the audit.

These little things are exactly what the Power Corporation is focusing on.

"There is a very real human element to energy reduction, such as turning lights out when one leaves the room," said Chris Zorica, a spokesperson with the Power Corp.

By keeping energy demand at a reasonable level, the corporation is able to work towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions before it is mandatory under Kyoto, he said.

"We have been pointed out as a big producer of emissions and since 1999 we have really been working to get ahead of the game through heat recovery programs and hydro," he said.

The Power Corp. also ran audits on the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex and the Town of Inuvik earlier this year. It is continuing the effort with Northern stores in Norman Wells and Fort McPherson this October.

It is fairly easy to reduce a monthly electricity bill almost immediately, said Mike Buchanan, senior energy management specialist with Arctic Energy Alliance.

"If a company is starting from scratch, 10 to 20 per cent reductions is achievable in the short term with a quick payback," he said. "Longer term reductions of 30 to 40 per cent are possible with larger changes such as adding insulation and changing drafty windows."

Using monitoring equipment, Buchanan tries to account for all electricity purchased by the customer.

A detailed report of energy use and suggestions to reduce it come from each study.

"People's habits dictate a lot about how much energy they will use," he said.

With the rising price of fuel and energy bills, the demand for audits from businesses is growing, he said.

The price of an audit depends on the complexity and size of the building, but generally ranges from $1.50 to $3.50 per square metre.

The Energy Alliance is a non-for-profit society that formed in 1997 to help individuals, government and businesses reduce the costs and affects of energy use in the NWT.