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Energy Conservation
Sep 06, 2013  Comment

Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Air-Sealing Buck

A chill is in the air, which means winter isn't far away. This is the time of year many people think of sealing their windows, doors, and other spots in their home to prepare for the cold weather ahead. If air sealing your home is on your to-do list, this article may help.
Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Sep 09, 2013  Comment

Heavy Rain/High Winds Wreak Havoc on Power System

Heavy rain and winds of 60 kilometres or more kept crews busy yesterday dealing with power outages. On Sunday morning just after 8 o'clock, power went out to parts of Dawson City and surrounding area, Faro, Elsa, Keno and Carmacks. Everyone was restored within 24 minutes. An investigation revealed two trees on the transmission line between Carmacks and Minto Landing. One of those tree contacts resulted in a small fire that our crew was able to put out before notifying Wildland Fire Management of its location. Then at 6:51 p.m. power went out again to all of Dawson and to Hunker Creek. Everyone's power was back on within six minutes. 
Power Outage Updates
Sep 10, 2013  Comment

Who to Call During Power Outages

We received a number of questions about an outage today in the Whitehorse vicinity. In this case, we encouraged people to call Yukon Electrical Company Limited for details. However we recognize that it's difficult if not impossible for you to know which utility to contact for outage updates. Here's what we suggest: 1. Check this blog, Yukon Energy's Facebook page, or our Twitter page. If an outage is a result of a problem on the generation side (that's us), we will post as many details as we know, as soon as possible. Many of you have SmartPhones or your computers have back-up batteries, so even in a power outage you can check these online sites. If the issue is instead with the distribution side, we won't have details to share with you, so you won't likely find much if anything related to the outage on our social media sites. In that case you will need to contact Yukon Electrical. In rare instances (such as when the person who posts on Yukon Energy's social media sites is out of town), there won't be information posted online. In that situation, please try the alternatives listed below. 2. Listen to your local radio station. If the outage is a result of issues on the generation side, we provide information to the local media as soon as we can, so they can pass it along to you. With the power out, this will require you to use the radio in your vehicle, or perhaps you have a battery operated or wind up radio. Note that this will only work if the outage occurs at times when the local radio stations are broadcasting. At other times, resort to the other alternatives listed here. 3. If neither of these options is possible for you, please call whichever utility provides you with power (the company from which you get your monthly electricity bills).  The 'trouble line' phone numbers for both utilities are listed in the Yellow Pages (our number is 1-800-676-2843 or better still try 867-335-1519). If you live in the following communities, please contact Yukon Energy: Mayo Dawson Faro Mendenhall Champagne Braeburn Johnson's Crossing Little Salmon Drury Creek Little Fox Pine Lake Canyon Creek McGundy Campbell Highway Yukon Electrical Company serves everyone else in Yukon, so if you live in a community that's not listed above, please contact YECL. One final word...during an outage, many calls come in to our offices all at once. There will likely be times when you will need to leave a message. Please know that we will get back to you as soon as we are able. We appreciate your patience.
Environment
Sep 11, 2013  Comment

A Turn of Events on Marsh Lake

As you are likely aware, Yukon Energy monitors the water level on Marsh Lake on a regular basis. This fall, we are seeing something rather unusual happening on the lake. The water level peaked around mid-August, then started to retreat as is the usual occurance. However over the last several days, the level has risen once again, as you can see from this chart.  The thick burgundy line on the chart shows the levels to date. The lake is now back up to the level it was close to a month ago. It's not clear to us why this rebound has occurred. We've been asked if we are doing something at our Whitehorse operation that would cause this rise. The short answer is, no. Our water license stipulates we must keep all our gates open at the Marsh Lake Control Structure from May 15th through until a time when the water level drops to below what is known as the "Full Supply Level". Since the lake has not retreated to that level yet, we continue to operate with all the gates open.
Community Involvement
Sep 12, 2013  Comment

This Year’s Scholarship Recipients

Each year Yukon Energy provides scholarships to several Yukon students who are pursuing post-secondary education. We'd like to congratulate this year's recipients: Tanisha Leas Remy Kuiper Elliott Berg Sabrina Clarke Jasper Martin We wish them all the best in their studies. Please visit our website if you'd like to learn more about our scholarship program. 
Energy Supply, Environment
Sep 16, 2013  Comment

More Research into Climate Change and Whitehorse Hydro Generation

 Yukon Energy is once again working with the Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) of the Yukon Research Centre to gather data regarding how climate change could affect hydro generation at the Whitehorse dam. The details are outlined in this news release.
News
Sep 19, 2013  Comment

Yukon Energy Employee Recognized for Leadership in Sustainability

Yukon Energy would like to congratulate one of our employees for receiving a prestigious sustainability award. Travis Ritchie, our Manager of Environment, Assessment and Licensing, has been given a 2014 Clean50 Award. These awards are handed out annually by the long-time recruitment firm Delta Management Group to recognize those 50 individuals or small teams who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability in Canada over the past two years. Travis was chosen from a pool of nearly 500 well qualified candidates. Through his job at Yukon Energy, Travis works to ensure that sustainability is considered in everything that we do. He also is key when it comes to engaging Yukoners in our resource planning initiatives. He approaches each project in a way that respects both the community and the environment. Travis serves as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Electricity Association’s Sustainable Electricity Program National Steering Committee and sits on the Board of Directors for the Auditing Association of Canada and the Western and Northern Canada Affiliate of the International Association for Impact Assessment. We are very proud to have Travis as part of our team and are delighted that Delta Management Group has recognized him as a leader in the field of sustainability.  
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Sep 19, 2013  Comment

It’s All About the Lighting

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are fast becoming the top energy efficient lighting choice. There are a few things to consider when purchasing LEDs for your home that add a little extra challenge to light shopping, but with a few simple tips, getting the right LED light can be easy. The Smith and Kitchen-Kuchak families of Whitehorse have switched the lights in their homes to LEDs.  For this month’s Conversations in Conservation event, they’ll talk about how they made the switch, what they like about this technology, and the challenges they faced in making the conversion, plus they’ll provide tips on buying LEDs.  Yukon Energy will also share some what we have learned through our own energy conservation work. This Conversations in Conservation talk takes place on Thursday, September 26th from noon to 1 at the Westmark Hotel in Whitehorse. Conversations in Conservation is a monthly event hosted by Yukon Energy on the last Thursday of every month. All the talks are held at the Westmark Hotel over the lunch hour. There is no cost and everyone is welcome. Cookies and refreshments will be served. For more information, email stephanie.whitehead@yec.yk.ca or call (867) 393-5404.
News
Sep 30, 2013  Comment

A Significant Day for Marsh Lake Water Levels

A message to property owners and residents in the Southern Lakes area. The level on Marsh Lake has just today crossed below the conceptual Full Supply Level that we are considering in the Southern Lakes Enhanced Winter Storage Concept. You might want to take note of where the level is on your own property. Our current licensed Full Supply Level is 30 cm. below today’s level. We will not start to close any gates at the Marsh Lake Control Structure until the water has dropped below our licensed Full Supply Level of 656.234 meters above sea level. In this latest Marsh Lake water level chart, you’ll see that the water behaved in a rather unusual way this year, starting to drop but then rising again. It’s now coming down fairly rapidly and we don’t expect it to rise again this year.  
News, Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Oct 03, 2013  Comment

Energy Saving Workshop Planned for Mayo

Looking to save some money on energy? Yukon Energy, Yukon Electrical Company Ltd., and Natural Resources Canada are hosting an energy management workshop, this time in Mayo. The workshop will cover everything from energy "basics" to the importance of managing energy. Participants will be shown how to identify energy saving opportunities and will be offered some low cost/no cost ways to energy and money. The session is taking place on October 17th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mayo Curling Lounge. Everyone is welcome to attend but the workshop will be most helpful to small business owners and First Nation and municipal decision makers.  There is no cost for the workshop but you must pre-register by October 10th by contacting Taylor Ewing at the Village of Mayo (996-2317 or mayo@northwestel.net).
News, Safety
Oct 09, 2013  2

Yukon Energy Does it Again!

For the second year in a row, Yukon Energy has won a prestigious safety award from the Canadian Electricity Association. Last year we won a bronze award for top safety performance among small Canadian utilities (fewer than 500 employees). This year we’ve taken the silver! Congratulations all around, and especially to our Manager of Safety, Melanie Pettefer. It was in large part because of Melanie’s leadership that we have been able to achieve this status. Under Melanie’s guidance, Yukon Energy has become a safer place to work. 
Media Releases
Sep 17, 2013  Comment

Northern Climate ExChange partners with Yukon Energy and federal government on hydrosecurity project

Matching funds from Yukon Energy Corporation and the federal government will allow the Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) of the Yukon Research Centre to continue its research investigating the implications of climate change on hydro generation at the Whitehorse dam. Yukon Energy and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada have each contributed $385,000 to allow the Northern Climate ExChange to build upon preliminary research already conducted with the energy corporation. Technical and other support will be provided by the Yukon Geological Survey and Environment Yukon’s Water Resources Branch. “This project aims to improve our understanding and preparedness for the impacts of climate change in northern Canada, which is of vital importance to Yukon’s prosperity,” said Lacia Kinnear, Manager, Northern Climate ExChange. “This research is critical to Yukon Energy in terms of helping us plan for climate change and the implications on our ability to generate hydro power,” said Janet Patterson, spokesperson for Yukon Energy. “With the majority of the electricity we produce coming from the Whitehorse hydro facilities, we must be ready for any future changes in the watershed that feeds our Whitehorse system.” Researchers will install automated weather and snowpack monitoring stations at five locations in the upper Yukon River watershed. The researchers will study the characteristics and flow dynamics of the headwater glaciers. They’ll also collect data on snow pack and suggest how the water that feeds the Whitehorse dam could be affected by climate variability. Yukon College students will be involved in many different aspects of this project, including field work and data interpretation. By the third year of the project, the researchers expect to develop a model that will help Yukon Energy in its future resource planning. It will also assist the energy corporation in operating its Whitehorse hydro facilities in the most efficient way possible under various scenarios. More information on this project can be found here. The Northern Climate ExChange is one of seven key programs at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC). The other six include: Biodiversity Monitoring, Cold Climate Innovation, NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Mine Life Cycle, Technology Innovation, Science Adventures, and Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic. Core funding for the Yukon Research Centre is provided by Yukon Education and Yukon Economic Development. Yukon Energy Corporation is a publicly owned electricity utility that operates as a business, at arm’s length from the Yukon government. It is the main generator and transmitter of electrical energy in Yukon.   For more information, contact: Lacia Kinnear Manager, Northern Climate ExChange Yukon Research Centre 867.668.8862 867.332.6231 lkinnear@yukoncollege.yk.ca Janet Patterson Manager, Communications Yukon Energy Corporation 867.393.5333 867.335.1519 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca
Power Outage Updates
Oct 31, 2013  Comment

Planned Outage for Aishihik Area

Yukon Energy would like to notify some of our customers in the vicinity of Aishihik of a couple of short planned power outages on Tuesday, Nov. 5th. There will be one outage of approximately five minutes between 8:30 and 9 a.m., and a second outage - again approximately five minutes - between noon and 12:30. Please note that originally these outages had been planned for Monday Nov. 4th but were changed to coordinate work Yukon Electrical Company Limited is doing in the area. The customers affected live on Marshall Creek Road, Aishihik Lane, and Pine Lake Road. We apologize for the inconvenience, but these outages are necessary so our staff can safely work on the system.
News, Community Involvement, Environment
Oct 31, 2013  Comment

Mayo’s Newest Walking Trail

Looking for a new place to go for a short, scenic walk? If you are in the Mayo area, there's a new walking trail with interpretive signage in the vicinity of our Mayo B powerhouse and salmon rearing channels. We constructed the trail and had the signage produced in cooperation with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun. The trail forms a 2.5 kilometre long loop. It provides good views of the Mayo River, our salmon-rearing channel, and the Mayo B powerhouse. There are a number of information panels along the trail that provide details of the history and cultural significance of the area. We've created this map to help you find your way to the walking trail. Once you leave the main highway you'll see several directional road signs that will help guide you as well. Once you've walked the trail, we'd love it if you would drop us a note and let us know what you think.
News, Energy Supply
Oct 29, 2013  Comment

A New Micro-Generation Policy for Yukon

We thought you might be interested in this news release. We will be working closely with the Yukon government and Yukon Electrical Company Limited to do the work necessary to implement this policy as soon as possible.

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