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OPINION: From the Publisher: Summer good time to think warm

June 29th 7:15 pm | Jason Evans Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Do you remember this past winter, thinking through a to-do list for projects to make your home better? Projects that couldn't wait until the summer months ahead to get started? It might have been a long list, and if June has snuck by you as quickly as it has for me, I'd like to try and make what is hopefully one of your tasks easier: Home weatherization. If it is not on your list, maybe you will consider adding it to that to-do list after reading this little piece.

The initial thought of starting the home weatherization process may be overwhelming, or at least it seems that way in the beginning. So many questions could be popping into your mind right about now:

Q: What does home weatherization mean?

A: Home weatherization is the act of achieving better energy efficiency for your home. For instance, a common and quick "do it yourself" step might be to reseal the windows in your home. Even individuals that rent many consider more efficient window coverings to help lower heating costs for our long winter months ahead.

Q: How much is this going to save me?

A: Like many things in Alaska, much of this answer obviously comes down to where you live in the state and in this case, the age or building-quality of your home. However, to give you an idea of how much importance has been placed on home weatherization, back in 2009, one of Vice President Biden's task force plans indicated a potential savings of 40 percent in energy usage for weatherized homes. This is not just a Washington, DC initiative. Europe has placed importance on energy efficient homes for years and intends to use some of this to help with Europe's economic recovery process. The Alaska Legislature has also put millions into subsidizing the cost to weatherize homes.

Q: How much is this going to cost me?

A: This is the largest barrier to achieving the money savings from a more efficient home — the upfront costs. A lot of this will be dependent on your total household income. There are a number of resources throughout the state that focus on providing low-income housing with weatherization assistance. The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) administers a home weatherization program that offers free energy efficiency improvements to low-income houses statewide. The Alaska Energy Efficiency Partnership provides a variety of solutions for Alaskans. The home page on their website (akenergyefficiency.org) even has a map of Alaska where you can locate the various energy opportunities in your community.

For homeowners that do not qualify for financial assistance, based on income requirements, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) provides a rebate, up to $10,000, for qualifying improvements.

Q: Where do I start?

A: I highly encourage people to look into how the programs for low- and middle-class homeowners work before going out and starting the process on your own. However, typical energy saving through weatherization modifications include insulating walls, ceilings and floors; sealing the air leaks throughout the home; maximizing window and door efficiency; and tuning or upgrading the heating system.

We live in the state with the highest energy costs. It costs us more to heat our homes and provide electricity than any other place in the country. Fortunately, we live in a state with the most, and best, access to home-weatherization assistance for both the lower and middle classes. But with the high costs we have here, even if we paid for the upgrades ourselves, we would gain the benefits over time, and have more comfortable and affordable homes in the long run.

 


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