GN gives Nunavummiut no incentive to save energy

Our leaders are not serving our interests when it comes to energy conservation.
Government subsidies discriminate against Nunavut residents who want to conserve or invest in renewable energy systems. For instance, a resident pays approximately 25¢ per kilowatt/hour after territorial subsidies are applied.

The government pays the difference (42¢ per kwh in Cambridge Bay). Should you want to add some solar or wind power or even to change to a more efficient lighting system, any savings you generate will save the government up to 20¢ a kwh.

You have to absorb the entire cost of the investment, making expensive upgrades difficult to justify even though they are actually very cost effective.

This discriminates against those of us who want to generate our own power more efficiently and cleanly than the power corporation and discourages energy efficiency.
Similar policies for water use are also in place. Even worse, social housing residents have even less reason to be energy conscious, as their utility costs are based on income only, not on consumption. Consequently they have no reason to even think about their energy habits.

Rather than perpetually paying out subsidies, why isn’t our government investing in incentives, renewable energy subsidies, or other programs for better appliances, sustainable energy infrastructure and more energy efficient lifestyles?

Peter VandenBrink,
Cambridge Bay