As of this month, the Arctic energy Alliance has given a combined $5 million back to NWT residents through their rebate program, which first began back in 2007.
The latest recipients who helped cross that $5 million threshold were Ryan and Brittany Plustwa of Yellowknife. The couple received rebates for a new wood stove, as well as an energy-saving ECM pump.
The Energy Efficiency Incentive Program, as it is formally known, is designed to encourage northerners to buy more energy-efficient versions of products they use every day, so they can save on energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Examples of products that may be eligible for rebates also include LED light bulbs, washing machines, fridges and high-efficiency furnaces.
The program was the AEA’s first foray into using rebates as a way to encourage people to purchase more energy-efficient equipment. It started 10 years after the AEA opened its doors, through funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories. That year, the AEA gave out 547 rebates worth roughly $170,000.
Since then, the program has grown, thanks in part to additional funding in recent years from the federal government’s Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund.
The AEA has now signed more than 14,000 rebate cheques since the program started. In the 2022/23 fiscal year, the organization gave out rebates on more than 2,400 products under the program, worth about $300,000.
