Celebrating the Clothesline | Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Today is National Hanging Out Day. It's a way to celebrate the humble clothesline as an alternative to the dryer. Air drying your clothes regularly can save you money, both on your electricity bill and your clothes budget, since clothes usually last longer when they're not put in a dryer.

Don't forget that Yukon Energy will be at the Yukon Trade Show in Whitehorse at the end of this month promoting line drying. We'll give away free clothespegs, provide tips on air drying your clothes, and there'll be daily draws for free clotheslines and clothes drying racks. We'll also have other energy savings information for you.

Come hang out with us. Our booth will be easy to spot...it'll be the one with the colourful clothes hanging from the line. 

Forging Business Partnerships | Monday, April 18, 2011

Yukon Energy has been working hard to find new sources of electricity to meet the growing demand. We need to find energy that is affordable, reliable, environmentally responsible, and flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the territory.

But we can't do it alone. We need input from you. We also need financial investors.

One step we've taken to form new business partnerships is to sign a protocol agreement with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and the Dakwakädä Development Corporation. The agreement doesn't deal specifically with any one project or initiative. What it does is set out a framework for us to work together on areas of common interest. It outlines shared principles, recognition of interests, and the overall objectives of the three parties. You can read the protocol agreement here.

Yukon Energy hopes to sign similar protocol agreements with other local First Nations in the near future.
 

You Asked; We Delivered | Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Probably the most popular pages on our website are the ones showing the amount of electricity being consumed at any given time on our Mayo-Dawson transmission system and our Whitehorse-Aishihik-Faro grid. We added these charts last year as a way of showing you the demand on our system and how we meet that demand (whether that be solely with hydro, or with a combination of hydro and diesel). Our hope is that if you see we are having to use diesel to meet the demand, you will try to keep your discretionary energy use to a minimum.

We have received tremendous feedback about the usefulness of the charts. However you asked us to add additional information that shows electricity usage over the longer term. I am happy to tell you those extra charts are now on our website. There are now four charts for each transmission grid: one for current consumption, one that covers a 24 hour period, one that covers a week, and one that covers a year. Take a look and let us know what you think. All the charts can be found from this page.

Welcome Back, Fine Feathered Friends | Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The cooler than usual spring in Southern Yukon doesn't seem to be deterring the swans. At last count there were more than a hundred trumpeter swans at Swan Haven, and dozens of Common Goldeneye ducks. The area's open water provides a place for the birds to feed and rest in preparation for their journey further north.

A visit to Swan Haven in April is a treat for the whole family. You might also enjoy our live swan cam  that Yukon Energy has set up for the third year in a row on the northwestern shore of M'Clintock Bay. There is still a lot of ice on the bay so at this point the swans are quite far away. They will come closer to the camera over the next week or two, at which point you should have a much clearer view of them.

While we're on the topic of swans, the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce and Environment Yukon's Wildlife Viewing Program are challenging Yukon businesses to welcome the arrival of the swans by decorating their businesses or selling products with a swan theme. We know of at least one business (Baked Cafe) that is serving swan lattes!

Visit Environment Yukon's website to get the details of how you can participate in the Store Front Challenge, and drop us a line to tell us about a great swan-themed store front you have seen lately.

Laying Pipe | Thursday, April 7, 2011

Work is about to begin on another big component of the Mayo B hydro project. Starting tomorrow Kiewit (the construction contractor) will start laying the more than 200 pieces of pipe needed to carry water between Wareham Lake and the new powerhouse, three kilometres away.

Each piece of pipe, known as penstock, is more than 18 metres (60 feet) long, and more than three metres (10.5 feet) in diameter. The penstock was fabricated in China, shipped to Vancouver, and then trucked piece by piece to the Mayo site. If you live in Yukon you may have noticed some of this pipe moving up the highway.

The penstock work will take place throughout the spring and summer, with completion expected by late August or early September.

The Mayo B powerhouse is now completed, and excavation work will resume this month on the tunnel that will connect the penstock with Wareham Lake.

The turbines and generators should start to arrive on site at the end of May.  

We'll post some photos of the penstock installation on this blog in a couple of weeks.

Hangin’ Out | Wednesday, April 6, 2011

This is the second in a series on how air drying your clothes can save you money and can be kind to the planet.

Line drying clothes is easy, but here are some tips that will help you get better results:

• Buy a good line - Cheaper lines will sag over time. Use a sturdy, thick line and tie it tight.

• Use vinegar – To keep fabric from becoming stiff, add a half cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
   
• Don’t hang your line under a tree - Birds. Tree sap. Enough said.
   
• Fold your sheets - Wet sheets are heavy. To keep them from dragging on the ground, fold them in half before pinning them to the line.
   
• Shirts – Hang shirts by the hemline to avoid “bunched shoulders” from the clothespins.
   
• Dresses - To keep a dress's shape, put it on a hanger first and attach the hanger to the line. 
   
• Maximize space - If you’ve got a very small area to work with, hang two lines on the same posts; one high for sheets, towels, and jeans, and the other low, for small t-shirts, shorts, underwear, and socks.
   
• Socks – Pin them from the toes. Socks folded over the line take longer to dry.

• Just because it’s too cold in winter to line dry clothes doesn’t mean you must use an electric dryer. Indoor drying racks will allow you to air dry clothes in your bathroom or by the heating vent. You’ll get the added benefit of the humidity from the wet clothes.

Do you have any clothes drying tips to pass along? Let us know!

Photo credit: www.gogreentogether.ca.

Put It All on the Line | Monday, April 4, 2011

Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

It's pretty hard to beat the 'great outdoors' fresh smell of clothes that are dried on a line. Now that spring has finally arrived in Yukon, we plan to devote several blog posts to the benefits and rewards of ditching your clothes dryer and using drying racks or clotheslines instead. For starters, here are some quick facts about drying clothes:

• An electric clothes dryer draws about six percent of a household’s total electricity usage. It is a powerful emitter of carbon dioxide.
   
• Air drying your clothes regularly can lead to savings on your electricity bill of about $100 a year.
   
• A Yukon family living in a community that is served with diesel electricity can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by three quarters of a ton if they use a clothesline or drying rack regularly. In Whitehorse, which is served mostly by hydro, regular air drying can lead to reductions in GHG emissions by about 15 kilograms a year (on average Yukoners emit 10.5 tonnes of GHG emissions per person per year). 
   
• Other benefits of line drying:
  -Clothes smell better
  -Clothes typically last longer
  -The sun's ultraviolet rays kill germs
  -Clothes act as a humidifier when you hang them indoors to dry
  -Hanging out clothes allows you to get a bit of fresh air and sunlight

Watch this blog in the days ahead for more about air drying your clothes. And we'd love to hear from you...do you line dry your clothes? Why or why not? If not, what would it take to convince you to give line drying a try?

By the way, we invite you to come hang out with us at this year's Yukon Trade Show in Whitehorse on April 29, 30, and May 1. We'll give away free clothespegs, plus you'll have a chance to win an outdoors clothesline or an indoors clothes drying rack.