Energy efficiency check-ups offered
Homeowners get free energy audit in Kugluktuk
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, October 3, 2016
KUGLUKTUK/COPPERMINE
Ten Kugluktuk homeowners are finding out just how energy efficient their houses are.
Aili Pederson, an environmental technology student at Nunavut Arctic College in Cambridge Bay, uses an infrared camera to identify heat loss areas in the school library in February with Ken Baigent of Arctic Energy Alliance. - photo courtesy of Ken Baigent |
The territorial government is conducting an energy audit from Oct 11 to 19 in collaboration with the non-profit energy management organization Arctic Energy Alliance.
A series of three audits have already been done in the past two years in Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet. Following Kugluktuk, Arviat will be the next community to receive the free audits, starting next February.
A workshop on climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy is being hosted on Oct. 13, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the community hall gym in Kugluktuk for any interested residents.
"There's only been about 40 homeowners in all of Nunavut who have ever received this full review of their homes," said Ken Baigent, who conducts the audits for Arctic Energy Alliance,
The free assessments are certified by Natural Resources Canada.
Krista Johnson, an energy resource analysis for the government of Nunavut's energy secretariat, said the audits can be done in any home, but not apartments. The auditing company is looking for a wide sampling of abodes, from multilevel units, to bungalows and duplexes, in order to create community energy profiles.
"The main intent of the audit is to spread awareness of energy, efficiency and conservation measures a homeowner can adopt," said Johnson. The audit identifies problem areas which are put into a report for the homeowner. "If the measures are adopted the homeowner can decrease energy costs and overall greenhouse gas emissions."
When completing an audit, Baigent spends around three hours in each home, looking at insulation, doors, windows, heating systems, types of appliances, fuel use and air quality. He can then create a computerized model scenario for that individual home.
"We have the last 25 years of weather data for Kugluktuk," said Baigent. "I can simulate how much oil that house should use for heating, how much electricity that house should use."
Then he can match that against the homeowner's actual experience and make suggestions for how to adjust outlying expenses and energy use.
"By the time I leave they look at their house in a different way."
He said there are also scenarios that are unique to the North, like the inefficiency in houses with attics.
"Once you get above the treeline, the winds that go whipping across the terrain will fill that attic cavity full of snow."
This leads to problems with moisture and mildew, so a lot of Northern homes are built with cathedral ceilings and no attic space, a concept called a hot roof.
He also recommends switching from incandescent light bulbs to more efficient bulbs.
"Even a compact fluorescent, but preferably an LED light, can save them like 80 per cent of their electricity use for lighting," he said.
When making recommendations to homeowners in remote communities Baigent said he also makes a point of visiting the hardware store in that community to see what the options are.
The Government of Nunavut will archive the information from the audits to inform future assessments. The program can also include a followup with homeowners to see how the information served them and what recommendations they were able to take advantage of to save on energy.
