Building Improvements

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Arctic Energy Alliance (AEA) has energy experts and money available to help your business, non-profit, or community government conserve energy and improve its energy efficiency. If you are interested in saving money by reducing the amount of heating fuel, electricity and water used, or want to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, this program is for you.

The Rebates

The AEA provides rebates of up to $50,000 for energy upgrades. The rebate amount you receive will be the lower of:

  • 50% of the total eligible costs of your project
  • A calculation based on the amount of money and greenhouses gases that your project will save (see the program guidelines for more information)

AEA staff can help you figure out what your rebate will be before you spend any money. Rebate cheques for eligible expenses are issued by the AEA after the building upgrades are completed, installations confirmed and copies of invoices and receipts have been received by the AEA. 

Rebates are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to pre-approval and availability of funds.

You must complete your project and submit all final documents to the AEA no later than March 10, 2024.

How It Works

First Steps

We encourage you to contact us to discuss your potential energy-saving project and the rebates you can receive from the AEA.

Businesses and Non-profit Organizations

This conversation will help you determine whether to go through the process of having a desktop energy audit done or the simpler process of submitting receipts. A desktop audit can help you decide if a free on-site energy audit is warranted. You will then complete your paperwork and submit it to us. 

Community Governments

You must have had either a desktop energy audit or an on-site energy audit completed on any building you wish to upgrade. If an energy audit has not yet been completed on the building, contact us to start the process. Once your audit is finished, you can complete your rebate pre-approval application and submit it to us.

Investigating Savings

Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations

If you want to investigate potential savings before starting an energy upgrade project, the AEA can analyze your utility bills to see where energy savings might be possible. (This is called a yardstick energy audit.)

If you would like to go even further, an AEA energy advisor can then meet with you at your building and audit your building’s heating equipment and controls, ventilation equipment and controls, air leakage, equipment that uses water, and your building’s lighting and lighting controls, and let you know how to get the most energy savings for the least amount of money. You can then use the audit report to help you decide what work you want to do.

Community Governments

We’ll typically start with a desktop audit of your building’s energy use, known as a yardstick energy audit. This service is free and uses utility bill data to allow us to compare your building to similar buildings. A yardstick audit or a similar professional energy audit is required for community governments to receive a rebate.

Once this is done the AEA can estimate the savings and the costs of upgrades and materials. This type of information is typically provided in an AEA on-site (or “targeted”) energy audit report. The AEA provides these energy audits, which involve site visits to all the buildings included in the report, for a fee, but you can receive a $15,000 subsidy toward the cost of the AEA’s services.

Cost Estimates

Once you’ve decided what kind of building upgrades you want:

  • Get an estimate of how much the upgrades will cost and work with your energy advisor to fill in a rebate pre-approval form. (We can only guarantee you a rebate if your application has been pre-approved before you start the work.)
  • We will let you know what rebate you can expect once the work is done.
  • Start work on your project within three months of being pre-approved.

Community Governments

  • A yardstick audit or a similar professional energy audit is required for community governments to receive a rebate.
  • The AEA can provide project coordination services for a fee to community governments help implement the recommendations in the targeted energy audit reports, but you can receive a $15,000 subsidy toward the cost of AEA’s services.

Receive Rebates

Once you send the AEA all your receipts and additional paperwork, we can calculate your rebate. One year after you’ve completed your energy upgrades, we can provide, free of charge, a follow-up yardstick energy audit so that you realize your energy and financial savings.

If you already know what energy upgrades you want to undertake, how much they will cost and your anticipated energy, water and money savings, get in touch with us to pre-approve the building energy upgrades, then send us a copy of all your receipts to process your rebate.

How to Apply

Apply Online – Businesses & Non-Profits

Once your project is pre-approved, you must start work within 3 months. Final paid invoices must be submitted to the AEA within 3 months of the date on the last invoice or by March 10, 2024—whichever is earlier.
Examples include an employer or contractor.

Project details

Check all that apply.

Documentation

Attach a copy of any relevant quotes or other documentation.
Allowed file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff

Acknowledgement and consent

Your participation in the Commercial Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program or the Non-profit Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program (the “Program”) requires the Arctic Energy Alliance (“AEA”) to collect information from you, including your personal information. The AEA will collect your information, including your personal information, for the purpose of delivering the Program. All personal information collected from you by AEA is protected by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000, c 5.

The Program is delivered by the AEA pursuant to the terms of the contribution agreement between the AEA and the Government of the Northwest Territories (“GNWT”) (the “Contribution Agreement”). Under the terms of the Contribution Agreement, the AEA is obligated to disclose your information, including your personal information, to the GNWT or the Government of Canada (“Canada”), or both, from time-to-time for the purpose of reporting and the public release of Program statistical data. The collection and disclosure of your information, including your personal information, by the GNWT and Canada is subject to applicable territorial and federal privacy legislation, including the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, SNWT 1994, c 20, and Privacy Act, RSC 1985, c P-21.

By checking the box above, you acknowledge that you have read this notice and that you consent to the collection of your information, including your personal information, by AEA and the disclosure of said information by AEA to the GNWT or Canada or both for the purpose of administering the Program. You further consent to the collection and disclosure of your information, including your personal information, by the GNWT and Canada for the purpose of reporting and the public release of Program statistical data.

Submit your application

Apply Online – Community Governments

Once your project is pre-approved, you must start work within 3 months. Final paid invoices must be submitted to the AEA within 3 months of the date on the last invoice or by March 10, 2024—whichever is earlier.
Examples include an employer or contractor.

Project details

Check all that apply.

Documentation

Allowed file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff
Attach a copy of any relevant quotes or other documentation
Allowed file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff

Acknowledgement and consent

Your participation in the Community Government Building Energy Retrofit Program (the “Program”) requires the Arctic Energy Alliance (“AEA”) to collect information from you, including your personal information. The AEA will collect your information, including your personal information, for the purpose of delivering the Program. All personal information collected from you by AEA is protected by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000, c 5.

The Program is delivered by the AEA pursuant to the terms of the contribution agreement between the AEA and the Government of the Northwest Territories (“GNWT”) (the “Contribution Agreement”). Under the terms of the Contribution Agreement, the AEA is obligated to disclose your information, including your personal information, to the GNWT or the Government of Canada (“Canada”), or both, from time-to-time for the purpose of reporting and the public release of Program statistical data. The collection and disclosure of your information, including your personal information, by the GNWT and Canada is subject to applicable territorial and federal privacy legislation, including the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, SNWT 1994, c 20, and Privacy Act, RSC 1985, c P-21.

By checking the box above, you acknowledge that you have read this notice and that you consent to the collection of your information, including your personal information, by AEA and the disclosure of said information by AEA to the GNWT or Canada or both for the purpose of administering the Program. You further consent to the collection and disclosure of your information, including your personal information, by the GNWT and Canada for the purpose of reporting and the public release of Program statistical data.

Submit your application

Apply Online – Desktop Building Energy Audit

If you would like an audit of more than one building, please complete a separate application for each building.

Building information

For example, "3,000 sq. ft." Do not include sections of the building that are not connected to heating or cooling systems.
Check all that apply

Heating systems

Check all that apply
Check all that apply

Domestic hot water

Check all that apply
Check all that apply

Ventilation

Check all that apply

Utility billing history

The following information is required to complete your yardstick energy audit. If you don't have this information available now, you can email it to us later.
Must show volumes delivered and delivery dates. Please combine all documents into one file. If you can't combine them into one file, please email them to us. Allowed file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg
Must show consumption and billing periods. Please combine all documents into one file. If you can't combine them into one file, please email them to us. Allowed file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg
Must show consumption and billing periods. Please combine all documents into one file. If you can't combine them into one file, please email them to us. Allowed file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg

Submit your application

Supporting Material

Businesses & Non-Profits Application Guidelines

Community Governments Application Guidelines – Building Energy Audits

Community Governments Application Guidelines – Rebates and Program Coordination

Application Forms

Businesses & Non-Profits Application Form

Community Governments Application Form

Desktop Energy Audit Application

Additional Programs