Saving Energy, Water, Money and Our Environment

Every year, our Government of Nunavut’s 518 buildings consume more than $14 million in water, electricity and fuel oil. Due to our reliance on imported oil to heat our buildings and generate our electricity, we know that this figure will continue to rise substantially, despite the government subsidy. The economic impact of our energy consumption is not the only issue that we must consider. Our consumption of energy also impacts our environment, leading to the generation of an estimated 15,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, which contribute to climate change. This is a serious environmental problem, which will impact us more than any other region of Canada. We know this is unsustainable, counter productive and must change. To this end, we have launched the unique, resource-savings Nunavut Energy Management Program.

Government of Nunavut’s Energy and Water Consumption

Last year, we undertook a preliminary assessment of our energy and water use. We found that 54% of our annual utility bill is expended for electricity, 14% for water and 32% for fuel oil. We also found that we could reduce our energy and water use by more than 25% by installing energy-efficient technologies, managing our buildings more efficiently and encouraging our employees to use energy more efficiently. Furthermore, by implementing an aggressive energy management program we can not only save money and protect the environment, but we can also create employment and improve the working and living conditions of our employees and their families.

Nunavut Energy Management Program

Modeled on the Government of Canada’s Federal Buildings Initiative, the self-funded NEMP will assist the GN in entering into contracts with qualified energy management firms, who will conduct feasibility studies in each of our buildings and then develop, finance and implement retrofit strategies. Future energy savings will be used to repay their investments. The scope of work under this program will include such measures as energy-efficient lighting, building automation systems, air sealing, insulation, new boilers, operator training and employee education. The savings will be monitored and tracked in each facility by building staff.

Building on Success

Initially, the project will be introduced in Iqaluit to ensure that the unique conditions associated with Nunavut are fully understood and incorporated in each facility. All GN owned and leased buildings in Iqaluit will be retro-fitted, including the airport terminal, schools, healthcare and government offices and warehouses.

The Three Initiatives of NEMP

The NEMP is an innovatively financed three-pronged program with the following components: 

Nunavut is divided into four regions: Baffin Region, Kivalliq Region, Kitikemot Region, and the city of Iqaluit. It is a vast territory of nearly 2 million square kilometers, one-fifth of Canada's landmass, encompassing a wide variety of ecosystems, geographies, local hunting and wage economies, natural resources, histories, dialects and opportunities.