Paulatuk, NWT, calls itself the south wind capital of the Arctic.
Local people have long harnessed the power of strong southerly winds: they propelled boats before engines were common, formed drifts that could tell direction on land, and used them to dry meat in preparation for storage.
And now the village wants to turn this wind into electricity.
It's part of the community's ambitious goal to one day become carbon neutral. But everyone – from residents to those leading the project – agree that ensuring homes don't waste energy is an important part of the goal.
“The winds are what make the turbines work, but the wind also makes our homes and our homes cold,” Lily-Ann Green said. She is a mother, resident and member of the Paulatuk Energy working group.
Green said many people in Paulatuk don't have proper seals on their doors and windows. In the summer, sunlight streams through the cracks, she said.
“And in the winter months when it's windy, then yes, a lot of people, a lot of us, have to put a blanket over the doorway… we try to keep our spaces as warm as we can with everything we have, and the same goes for the windows.”
Courtney and Stacey Walkey are raising their family in a three-bedroom Housing NWT home. They waited years to replace missing cabinet doors, install door handles and fix window latches.
Another problem they face is the need to seal the front door with silicone every year from October to May. It keeps cold air out during the winter months, but they say it's far from an ideal solution.
“If there was a fire here by accident, how would we be able to get out of our house? Because all the windows are locked, our front door is locked, and the only way to get out is through the back door, which is a long way,” Stacy Walkie said.
According to NWT Bureau of Statistics 2024 ReportAlmost half of the homes in Paulatuk are considered to meet basic needs – meaning they are not considered suitable, adequate or affordable for those who live in them. Paulatuk is the community in the NWT that has the second highest percentage of homes that meet basic needs.
Paulatuk's vision for a renewable energy project includes one or more wind turbines, solar panels and a battery storage system. Green supports the project and hopes it will improve the future of her grandchildren.
But despite the problems with people's homes, Greene questions the point of generating clean electricity. This is precisely the problem that the recently published energy plan of a working group called Sivulliit Energy aims to address.
“I'm glad Lily brought this up. The idea of putting natural energy into a wasteful, inefficient home? No good,” said Raymond Ruben, mayor of Paulatuk and chairman of the task force, during a course on community energy systems in Paulatuk earlier this month.
“We want to help our local people have better homes, more efficient homes. We're not going to feed and waste energy on something that's ineffective.”
In presenting the energy plan to the class, Grace Nakimayak, coordinator of the Clean Energy Working Group, described the housing and energy efficiency section of the plan as one of its most important parts.
“Our homes are outdated and seasonal moves cause drafts,” the plan says. “Some homes suffer from dampness, multi-generational occupancy, mold, and overcrowding, all of which have a significant impact on the comfort and longevity of the home, but most importantly on the health and safety of its occupants. [residents].
The plan states that few people own their own homes, and most homes are owned and maintained by the NWT Housing Trust.
Nakimayak said the task force is working with the National Research Council and NWT Housing Trust on a housing research project that will install devices in Paulatuk homes to collect information about how fuel and electricity are used.
The devices will be installed in five or six homes in early spring, she said. The plan is to collect data over two years, Nakimayak said, and the hope is that the project will be expanded to include more homes if the project can secure more funding.
According to the Clean Power Plan, this information will be used to make recommendations to the NWT government.
Nakimayak said the task force will also organize a course on housing and energy efficiency in the spring. She said it would cover small things people can do to winterize their homes and reduce energy and heating needs without compromising the comfort of the space.
“We will collaborate and discuss how … future buildings can be more energy efficient, more culturally appropriate, more climate-friendly,” she said.
Green said she is looking forward to the spring course.
“If people were given the tools, materials and training on everything that could help them lower the cost of their energy bills in any given month. I'm all for it. I'm glad it's going to happen.”
