The Nunatsiavut Government partners with CLEAResult Canada to deliver energy-efficiency initiatives in isolated, Inuit-governed communities in Northern Labrador.

The winter winds gather force as they cross a rugged, ancient landscape shaped by cold and time. They move along exposed bedrock, over rolling hills and low mountains, and through fjords carved into the coastline.

Once the winds reach you in Nunatsiavut, which means ‘Our Beautiful Land’ in Inuktitut, a temperature in the minus 20s becomes a piercing ‘real feel’ temperature in the minus 40s. When outside, you need insulated, windproof clothing to stay warm.

Inside, homes and buildings in this Inuit self-governed region within northern Labrador also need good insulation, air-sealing, and effective heating to retain warmth.

But much of the housing stock dates back decades and was not designed for a sub-arctic climate. And some of the homes were hastily built during the mid-20th century, when hundreds of Inuit families from the Hebron and Nutak settlements were forcibly relocated to larger, existing coastal communities.

A house is a structure — a home is warm

The result is aging infrastructure, poor housing quality, and overcrowding. Common issues are inadequate insulation, leaky air sealing, and poor ventilation systems (leading to mould and moisture issues, which in turn can cause respiratory illness).

Temperatures remain well below freezing for extended periods in Nunatsiavut. Poorly insulated homes lose heat quickly, leading to higher fuel consumption and uncomfortable indoor conditions. A furnace failure can be dangerous.

“My heating and electricity bills were over $8,000 a year,” says Richard Pamak, from his home in Nain, the administrative capital of Nunatsiavut. “I have a wood stove to reduce the costs, but when the fire dies out, maybe four in the morning, it can be shockingly cold. I had to do something.”

The five main communities of Nunatsiavut (in addition to Nain, there’s Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik, and Rigolet) are scattered along the northeast coast of Labrador, an ecosystem that marks the transition from the boreal forest in the south to the full Arctic tundra in the north. They are not connected to the provincial power grid, so each community operates as an isolated ‘microgrid’ providing its own heat and power.

Local generating stations operated by Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro burn diesel to produce electricity for homes and community buildings. Since there are no road connections to the rest of the province, fuel must be delivered by ship during the ice-free season and stored in large tanks for year-round use.

For heating during the long, cold winters, most homes rely on oil-fired furnaces and this heating oil is also delivered by sea. While electric heat is used, it’s less common as it is extremely expensive and puts more pressure on the local diesel-generated electricity grid.

Many households supplement oil heat with wood stoves, but firewood supply can be limited by the sparse tree cover. Stunted black spruce and tamarack trees grow in sheltered valleys, forming patchy forests known as taiga. In winter, homeowners might travel considerable distances over sea ice or frozen ponds and lakes by snowmobile, pulling a qamutiik (sled), to cut their firewood.

Transporting diesel and heating oil to remote coastal communities is costly. Even with government subsidies, energy prices are very high. (Not to mention the environmental cost of carbon emissions.) When communities rely on a single fuel source delivered once per year, any disruption — such as delayed shipments or equipment failure — can pose serious risks.

Lowering energy demand reduces pressure on fuel supplies and increases resilience.

A more comfortable home is NEER

That’s why the Nunatsiavut Government (often called NG) has been a partner in energy-efficiency initiatives such as Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro’s Isolated Communities Energy Efficiency Program. NG has also offered limited-time pilot projects such as high-efficiency wood stoves and smart hot-water heater controllers.

In Nunatsiavut, the largest source of GHG emissions is from diesel combustion at electricity generation stations. Because of this, previous NG community energy projects generally targeted electrically heated buildings to achieve the greatest reductions in emissions. But this meant that non-electrically heated homes and businesses could not apply for the energy efficiency upgrade measures.

And rebate programs that require upfront funds can also be an obstacle for residents eager to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, regardless of their heat source.

“We had some money for a woodstove pilot, there’s a program here to install efficient LED lightbulbs and thermostats, then we would get some money for installing heat pumps,” says Jamie Hewlett, the Regional Energy Manager for NG. “But it was piecemeal. We wanted to create a program that looked at the whole house, looked at what makes the most sense for it, regardless of how you heat it.”

“I want people to feel the difference of a warm home that isn’t drafty. And I want them to see the difference in their bills. That’s what it’s all about, right?”

In 2025, NG consolidated its various energy efficiency programs into a one-stop, easy-to-apply-to, ‘something for almost everyone’ program for those defined as beneficiaries in the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement. Inuit-owned businesses also qualify for the program; commercial buildings are the region’s largest energy consumers.

The Nunatsiavut Energy Efficiency Retrofit (NEER) program was launched to help community members increase the comfort of their homes — and save money — by providing free energy audits and funding for eligible energy efficiency upgrades. NEER has received funding from Natural Resources Canada.

That’s how Richard Pamak, with the $8,000 in bills, received a new heat pump for his house in Nain. “My bills have started to come down,” he says, “but I won’t know the full amount until we go through a few winters. But one other thing is that I can’t wait to try the air conditioning side of my heat pump in the summer.”

CLEAResult Canada, a trusted partner

The power you don’t use is the cleanest form of energy, so efficiency is a foundation of Nunatsiavut’s energy future. The local government needed a trusted, strategic partner to help turn aspirations into practicalities at the community level, where the tire hits the road — or in this case, the snowmobile track hits the snow.

“I have a vision of what I want to do, but there’s only so much time and capacity available to make it happen,” says NG’s Hewlett. “I needed help writing funding proposals, finding the right contractors and the right supplies, and developing the policies.”

The government deepened its partnership with CLEAResult Canada, which has been active in energy efficiency in Labrador since 2020, including the delivery of the Isolated Communities Energy Efficiency Program. CLEAResult is helping the NEER program by building effective partnerships with experienced contractors, offering strategic advice, and solving logistical challenges common in Northern communities.

The NG energy team develops the high-level strategic goals and communicates with residents. CLEAResult delivers the program, drawing on its extensive experience working in isolated and Indigenous communities across the country.

“They help me steer the ship,” says Hewlett. “We meet every week, and we’ve become a team that wants to solve problems. I wouldn’t be able to operate NEER without CLEAResult.”

A cleaner climate is also NEER

CLEAResult Canada and the Nunatsiavut Government are committed to reducing energy costs for its citizens, and to reducing its carbon footprint for a healthier climate. The NEER program offers:

• Free, professional home energy assessments regardless of heat source and income. Based on the results, homeowners may qualify for no-cost energy efficiency upgrades.
• Energy efficiency measures such as cold climate heat pumps, insulation, windows, and doors. These are free for low-income residents and include a co-pay option for middle and higher-income residents. Depending on income, homeowners can receive up to $20,000 in free upgrades.

For all participants, there is a common application form that gathers enough information on the home, heat source, and other criteria for NEER program staff to determine eligibility. Once enrolled in the program, a free, professional ENERGuide home energy audit is performed by a Certified Energy Advisor. They measure insulation levels, determine how air-tight the home is using a blower door test, and analyze the heating system, existing lighting, water heating, and other appliances.

A detailed audit report highlights the top energy upgrade opportunities and makes tailored retrofit recommendations. Since Nunatsiavut’s electricity is diesel-based, fuel switching from furnace oil to electric heat is not necessarily an effective strategy for reducing GHG emissions. But adding a heat pump to a home with electric baseboard can make sense — and cents. A post-retrofit energy audit is conducted to make sure that the measures are living up to the estimated energy savings.

Commercial building audits take a somewhat different approach, but the end goal of tailored efficiency advice is the same. NG’s financial contribution for businesses is higher than for homeowners, but the funding is still allocated to pre-determined eligible upgrades identified by the energy audit.

Jim Anderson, a resident of Makkovik, is another participant in the NEER program whose home is heated by a combination of heat pump, electric baseboard, and wood furnace. He had spray foam blown into the crawl space, insulation added to the attic, and air sealing around the doors. “The house is definitely warmer,” Anderson says, “and less drafty. And this work was free!”

“The guys who did the work were really good guys. I even invited them to stay for dinner.”

CLEAResult Canada has been working with Greenfoot Energy Solutions, a full-service energy efficiency company in Atlantic Canada, to install the measures and support residents through the upgrade process. The program also supports homeowners who want to explore even deeper retrofits by leveraging all existing provincial and federal rebates and programs.

“The main types of upgrades have been insulation, both attic and basements, also heat pumps, hot water tanks, windows, doors, and air sealing,” says Greenfoot’s Tony Parker, the Provincial Manager for Newfoundland & Labrador, based in St. John’s.

“NEER was launched in 2025, and I’d say we got 98% of the work done, and on schedule. There’s a few things we’ve had to come back for, a couple of things that got damaged in transit. There are challenges, sure, but I thrive on it. I love being someone who can meet with the residential customers, the people on the ferry, the suppliers, and make this happen.”

“And it’s been great working with CLEAResult,” says Parker. “They are flexible, they understand the need here, and want to use the best products for this climate.”

Energized by success

Around 25 homes across the five communities have gone through the NEER program so far, and the response has been positive. Homeowners are feeling warmer and are seeing some savings on their heating bills. It will take a few winters to fully gauge the energy reductions, but both NG and CLEAResult are enthusiastic about the potential of the program.

“NG is keen to do good for their members and is open to new ideas,” says Aaron Taylor, CLEAResult Canada’s Senior Program Manager for Indigenous & Remote Communities. “They want to explore new technologies and try things that haven’t been done in this region. And when we get into the community, we’re finding the people are extremely welcoming, helpful, and friendly. It’s been a great experience.”

There can, of course, be challenges.

Getting retrofit supplies to a community via the coastal ferry can be delayed due to storms. If you do have to ship by air, it can be very expensive — you don’t want to forget anything or get pre-measurements wrong.

Outside heat pump intakes can be blocked by hard-packed snow or ice. The freeze-and-thaw cycle can affect the tightness of doors and windows.

“The climate is obviously a challenge, and logistics are a major factor because the materials, contractors, and travel all need to be carefully thought out in advance,” says Michael MacKay, Program Manager in CLEAResult Canada’s Indigenous & Remote Communities team. “It needs to be done right the first time, because you don’t have the option to just swing by and pick up on a half-finished project. You have to finish the work within the heating season.”

Nunatsiavut’s energy system has been shaped by isolation and dependence on expensive imported fuels. Energy efficiency will continue to be not just an environmental goal, but a practical necessity for one of Canada’s most challenging climates — and unique places.

“It’s been so meaningful to see the impact this work is having,” adds MacKay, “and how it’s helping build energy sovereignty in Nunatsiavut.”