Report Identifies Major Electricity Savings Through Conservation and Efficiencies

Media Releases

Apr 17, 2012  Comment

A study looking into the most effective ways of saving electricity in Yukon has concluded that between 32 and 48 percent of new power consumption can be met by electricity conservation and efficiency programs.

Yukon Energy, the Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. and the Yukon government’s Department of Energy, Mines & Resources engaged energy firm ICF Marbek to do the research and prepare a report.

The study included residential households, and commercial and government sectors and collected information about how people use electricity in the territory and where the greatest gains might be in terms of electricity conservation and efficiencies. Large industrial customers are being addressed separately since it is more practical to work with the mines directly on a one-on-one basis.

The study found that without any energy conservation and efficiency programs, the territory’s total electricity consumption is expected to increase by about 65 percent by 2030. It expects the total peak load to grow to about 107 megawatts (compared with the current peak load of just over 80 megawatts) within that same timeframe.

“With the kind of growth anticipated over the next couple of decades, conservation must be an integral part of the territory’s electricity supply options,” Yukon Energy President David Morrison said. “Every megawatt of power that can be saved is a megawatt that we don’t have to build. Energy efficiencies and conservation are among Yukon’s best options for ensuring a secure energy future.”

The review suggests that for residences, the most significant savings can come through adopting changes in technology related to space heating (building envelope), domestic hot water, clothes dryers, and standby loads in household electronics (computers, televisions and other home entertainment devices).

For commercial and government buildings, the best savings opportunities will be through improved indoor lighting and space heating.

“Yukon Electrical sees electricity conservation as just one of the resources that will be a part of the electrical supply solution in the territory,” said Dwight Redden, General Manager Yukon Electrical. “We are working closely with the Government of Yukon and Yukon Energy towards presenting a balanced set of conservation plans and programs to the residential and commercial sectors to achieve new supply through conservation.”

The study recommends that Yukon proceed with developing energy conservation and efficiency programs in a collaborative manner that makes the best use of territorial resources.

A summary of the report can be found here. The complete report can be found at the bottom of this webpage.

Contact:
Janet Patterson
Supervisor, Communications
Yukon Energy Corporation
(867) 393-5333
janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca

Laura Carlson
Corporate Communications Advisor
Yukon Electrical Company Limited
(867) 633-7010

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