LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The Fort Simpson Northern Store has become the first business in the Deh Cho to receive an Energy Action Award.

Arctic Energy Alliance, a Yellowknife based agency, gives the awards out yearly to Northerners who have taken action on becoming more energy efficient and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The awards were designed to meet two goals, said Brad Heath, the organization's communications manager.

Scott Crockett, a district manager with the North West Company, accepts an Energy Action Award from Deputy Premier Michael Miltenberger. The Fort Simpson Northern Store was give the award at a ceremony in Yellowknife on Feb. 25. - photo courtesy of Brad Heath

"We're celebrating people who have taken action, both the winners and the nominees, but also trying to encourage other people to take action," Heath said.

Home and business owners can help the environment and reduce their own expenditures without spending a lot of money, said Heath.

The Northern Store was recognized for undertaking energy efficiency upgrades to its refrigeration, lighting and heating system worth nearly $500,000.

Four awards are given out yearly in the categories of youths/schools, individuals, institutions/businesses and communities. The other winners this year include the Jason Jacobson Youth Centre in Tuktoyaktuk, Dwayne Wohlgemuth and Mary Kelly of Yellowknife, and the community of Dettah and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

The Northern Store is the Deh Cho's first-ever winner in any category. The award was presented at a ceremony in Yellowknife on Feb. 25.

Recognition of the award is growing, said Heath. Eighteen nominees were put forward this year, the highest number yet. A panel of judges choose the winners.

The North West Company, which owns the Northern Store chain, is pleased to have received the award, said Dan McConnell, the company's vice-president of real-estate and store development.

"We're ecstatic about it," McConnell said.

The company has been following energy conservation initiatives for approximately five years, and it's nice to receive recognition for it, he said. Energy efficiency and conservation is of great importance to the company.

"This is one of our major initiatives we report on to our board every quarter," said McConnell.

The Fort Simpson outlet was one of seven stores in the territory that received energy upgrades last year. Over the year the company invested $6 million in energy efficiency projects across Canada. Eighty-five per cent of that went to the North, roughly half of which went to the NWT.

Fort Simpson was chosen for upgrades because it was time to give the store a fresher look both from an appearance and energy perspective, said McConnell. Some of the changes included the installation of high-efficiency refrigeration cases, motion sensor lights on the cases and a switch from incandescent bulbs to compact florescent lights.

The store has been operating with its improvements since the end of September. The store's electricity consumption was reduced between October and December by more than 25 per cent.

Although saving energy is part of being a good corporate citizen it's also about saving money, said McConnell. The company conducts research to justify each of the upgrades from a business perspective. It's easier to do in Northern Canada, where higher utility rates make some technology more feasible than it would be in the south, he said.

The Energy Action Award marks the first time the North West Company has received an award for energy conservation initiatives undertaken in Northern Stores.

"It's a really big honour and hopefully the start of more people investing in the technology to conserve energy," said McConnell.