Ask Janet: New Turbine at Aishihik | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Question: I heard you on the radio today talking about Mayo B, but what about Aishihik 3? Is it up and running? Are you going to have a press release about that too? That is a good news story too because it was the clean-air funding that paid for that right? Another green milestone for the Yukon. Thanks.

Yes indeed, our new seven megawatt hydro turbine at our Aishihik plant is just about to go into service. We are just doing the final testing. It should be operating before the end of this year, and we will definitely put out a news release about this project very shortly. Thanks for your interest.

The Results are In! | Monday, December 12, 2011

It's official. The Kitchen-Kuiack family from Marsh Lake has won the National Energy Diet Challenge!

They will receive their prize, a Pruis car, this morning at 10 a.m. at the MicMac Toyota dealership in Whitehorse. You are encouraged to go congratulate them.

Yukon Energy is inspired by and proud of this family. Through the challenge they have encouraged many Yukoners to think about energy use and how we could conserve.

Many thanks Kitchen-Kuiacks, and enjoy your new car!
 

Information Session in Mayo | Sunday, December 11, 2011

A message for folks in Mayo: Yukon Energy will join Yukon government officials tomorrow for a public information session at the Mayo Curling Club. We'll update you on the work being done to address this winter's flooding risk in the community.

We'll be there fom 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be served. Please pass on the word to others in Mayo.
 

Ask Janet: Heating Your Home Overnight | Thursday, December 8, 2011

Question: I'm wondering if you can settle a family disagreement. To conserve energy, I want to turn the heat in our home down at night. However my husband thinks it takes just as much energy to bring the temperature back up in the morning than it does to keep the temperature higher throughout the night. Who is right?

We hope you have something really nice riding on this bet, because you win! Setting your thermostat back from 21 degrees to 16 degrees at night can result in energy savings of up to 10 percent.

We encourage the use of programmable thermostats that automatically adjust the temperature set points at pre-set times. This way the thermostat will automatically turn down the heat at night or when the home is empty and turn it up again when you are home.

Feeding the Hungry | Thursday, December 8, 2011

Kuddos to CBC Yukon's Dave White for a great show yesterday. The program, broadcast live from the Whitehorse Food Bank, highlighted the issue of poverty in the territory. The food bank now helps about 1,100 people every month!

Yukon Energy is a regular supporter of the food bank. But before we tell you more about that, we want to recount an incident that happened outside the facility during yesterday's radio broadcast.

One of our staff had just left the building after doing an interview with Dave White. She was stopped on her way to her car by a woman who timidly asked for 50 cents to buy a cup of coffee. The employee said she was happy to give her the money, but that there was all kinds of free coffee inside the food bank, along with cookies, crackers and cheese, and other goodies. "You mean the food bank is still open?!" the woman asked. The look of joy and relief that appeared across her face said it all. She practically ran the rest of the way to the building.

It's because of stories like this that Yukon Energy is happy to give some of our profits to the food bank. Since the agency was established a few years ago we've donated a van and have made annual cash contributions; we just recently gave a donation of $10,000.

But it's not just the Corporation itself that has helped out. Individual staff members have been very generous. It was employees who filled the donated van full of food, and it's staff members who each year collect non-perishable food and other goods for the food bank.

We'd like to thank our staff for their generosity, but also recognize the great work done by the food bank staff and volunteers. Let's all work towards the day when we will no longer need such a facility in the territory. Visit the food bank's website to find out how you can make a donation.

Photos: Yukon Energy's Janet Patterson and Shelley Dixon stock shelves at the food bank; Yukon Energy staff with a van full of donated goods for the food bank. Credit: www.archbould.com.

Like Us; Spread Some Cheer | Monday, December 5, 2011

Point #1: While Yukon Energy's primary job is to keep the lights on, we also feel a responsibility to help Yukon communities be as strong and healthy as possible. That's why, each year, we give some of our profits to local organizations.

Point #2: We are sincere in our wish to maintain a two-way conversation with you about Yukon’s energy future. One way of keeping the conversation going is through our Facebook page.

With these two things in mind, we are trying something a bit different this Christmas. Between now and New Year's Eve, for every person who 'Likes' us on Facebook, we will donate $1.00 to the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter in Whitehorse, up to a maximum of $5,000.

The shelter's needs are great right now. They are overflowing to the point where during the last week of October and the month of November, they had to ship 33 puppies and adult dogs to the Victoria SPCA. Sponsorship dollars would allow them to add kennels to the shelter so they can keep Yukon animals in Yukon.

They also want to offer spaying and neutering clinics in the communities, and expand their services to establish a facility outside of Whitehorse city limits where they can accept abandoned and/or neglected livestock.

So please take a few moments to "Like" our Facebook page. You'll be sending a little Christmas cheer to the animals and you'll ensure that you can play a part in planning a clean energy future for our territory.
 

The Future of Power | Friday, December 2, 2011

Earlier this year, a grade 11 class from Wood Street School in Whitehorse participated in a three-day energy charrette we held in the city. The students were articulate, engaged, and ended up leading a number of the discussion groups or being guest bloggers on this site.

Several months later, Simone Kitchen of the Kitchen-Kuiack family that is taking part in the National Energy Diet Challenge has gone back to Wood Street School to talk energy with another class. We thought you might enjoy watching the video she produced of her class visit.