Category Archives: Mechanical Systems

"To build or not to build — that is the question"

Another posting from Fairbanks homeowners Rocky Reifenstuhl and Gail Koepf.

To Build or Not to Build, that is the Question. If you have to ask that question, you should probably stop reading here & hire a realtor. The amount of time and energy involved in building your house can be tremendous, and that cost must not be marginalized if you are attempting to judge building vs buying strictly in terms of the perceived dollar savings.

Another consideration is the fact that most of Alaska has a rather limited housing market. If you are lucky enough to be looking when there are a lot of houses on the market, you might be inclined to think, (as has been said about another market in Alaska), “the odds are good, but the goods are odd.” There is a lot of unusual and sub-standard housing up here. Consequently, if you are considering buying anything, an inspection by a reputable independent home inspector or engineer is money well spent.

However, if you can find a house that even approximates what you are looking for, by all means snap it up and remodel if necessary. Moving is a huge job in itself and if you have a house to sell that is an additional time and energy sink. Think about what level of stress you want to add to your life. Building is not a pretty process in a place where there is very limited time between when you can break ground and when it freezes up again, along with the tools and hands of the builders.

I hope to have a sustainable, energy efficient, small home when I am done, but I can’t even pretend there is much else green about the process. Like most other things in life, compromise is necessary. I could have built greener & smaller, but I wanted to make the home comfortable enough that others would consider taking some of the steps I have. Going green is a gradual process, but we all should start somewhere.

Gail Koepf and Rocky Reifenstuhl, Fairbanks, Alaska homeowners, are building a new home using sustainable, energy efficient techniques. CCHRC staff are filming aspects of the construction for use in a future “Best Practices” video about homebuilding in the North. We will continue to post entries as their work progresses.

Fairbanks homeowners begin building adventure

Gail Koepf and Rocky Reifenstuhl, Fairbanks, Alaska homeowners, are building a new home using sustainable, energy efficient techniques. CCHRC staff are filming aspects of the construction for use in a future “Best Practices” video about homebuilding in the North. The following is the first entry from Gail’s ongoing journal about the project. We will continue to post entries as their work progresses.

We are currently facing a world of energy shortages, pollution, insecurity, and diminishing resources. These challenges have been confronted throughout time by all living creatures, as their populations pushed the limits of their existing conditions. In order to survive, they were challenged to adapt to a new environment or had to move on. Today moving on is less and less an option, so we had better learn to adapt and live in a way that is sustainable. My husband and I were in a life transition and were planning our new home. Our view was that taking steps toward sustainability was a goal second only to the need for shelter. I have been asked several times why I wanted to experiment with my own house. The reality is it was one of my main reasons for building. If I had wanted a conventional home, it would have been a lot easier to purchase one (especially in the current market!). I know there are many in Fairbanks, particularly now, who with a little encouragement would be willing to shift their concept of the “dream home” to something that is smaller & more efficient. I am posting some of our experiences to inform others like ourselves, who are interested in downsizing and retiring here, and who are looking in to smaller, more affordable energy efficient homes.

Wood heat warms home, pollutes air

From the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, on Saturday, December 6, 2008:

In early winter 2008, Fairbanks [Alaska] has had some of the worst air quality ever recorded, according to Jim Conner, an air quality specialist for the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

“We exceeded (federal air quality) standards in October this year for the first time,” Conner said. “It looks like we’ll have twice as many exceedances this year, about 50 (days).”

The bad air — caused by tiny floating particles from burned fuels — will lead to the Environmental Protection Agency in December to declare the borough as “out of attainment” of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

This means that Alaskans will have three years to come up with a plan on how to solve Fairbanks’ air problems, or the federal government will draw up a plan for Fairbanks.

Click here to read the whole story.

High school may use wood-fired boiler heater

From the Anchorage Daily News, Wednesday, December 9, 2008:

The Alaska Energy Authority has agreed to spend $20,000 to analyze whether energy-efficient wood boilers would be cheaper to use than heating oil for the roughly 50,000-square-foot school being built near Talkeetna. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which requested the study, has also chipped in $5,000. …

Local residents cooked up the idea. For more than a year, they’ve pressed the borough to consider using a wood-heated boiler as the primary heating source for the school, and to leave the fuel-oil boiler as a secondary heater. The wood could be harvested on borough-owned land a few miles from the school, whereas fuel oil would be trucked to the school from Nikiski, said mechanical engineer Tami Hamler, a supporter of the wood-fired boiler project. And if sustainable harvest practices are used, wood from public land could heat the school indefinitely, Hamler said.

Click here to read the whole article.

Passive solar home — totally in the 21st century

From the website “Solar House, Solar Home,” retrieved on 11/11/08:

Just after January 1, 2000, I left the 20th Century and I haven’t been back since. If your attention is rooted in the 21st Century, you only need your eyes and ears to understand that energy efficiency and sustainability will be the unfolding story of our time for the foreseeable future.

In the 21st Century, any home design that does not incorporate super energy efficiency for maximum total annual energy savings is a non-starter. In this new epoch, if you don’t incorporate energy efficiency into a new home plan, you simply become a 21st Century Nero: fiddling with home design as America burns fuel. The earlier you adjust to this new epoch and make the necessary conversions and alterations to your lifestyle, the better you will fare. A new ENERGY STAR qualified home, while a great improvement over traditional new homes, will simply not do. A new home, like the passive solar home I have built that is directly heated by the sun, is not just energy star efficient, it is energy super nova efficient.

Click here to read the website and see photos of the home.

"Weatherproofing" your home becomes popular

From the New York Times, on Friday, November 7, 2008:

Last month, Senator Barack Obama became — as far as we know — the first nominee to urge Americans to “weatherize your home” in a presidential debate.

With winter coming and Mr. Obama headed to the White House, it may be a good time to do just that.

The low-hanging fruit in weatherization, experts say, is sealing and caulking air outlets — especially on old homes. “The biggest bang for the buck, as people say, is really aggressively and rigorously plugging all those holes,” said Richard Renner, founder of Richard Renner Architects, a New England firm.

Click here to read the whole article.

Ferguson G125BE Blueflame Boiler Certification

Title: Ferguson G125BE Blueflame Boiler Certification
Location: Associated General Contractors, 3750 Bonita Street, Fairbanks
Description: FOR CERTIFIED INSTALLERS ONLY. Electric Boiler (sizing and piping controls and wiring); G125BE System (introduction and installation); Logamatic Control Troubleshooting, Servicing, Product Review. Call 907.456.1234 for information and reservations.
Date: 2008-10-22

Medieval construction making a comeback

From the Toronto Star, September 13, 2008:

Pity the three little pigs: They could have saved themselves all kinds of hassles if they’d only built their straw house properly in the first place and passed on the brick.

Of course, straw and mud isn’t the standard form of construction in Canada these days. So when Joshua Thornton, of Thor’s Hammer Timber Framing, presented his building plans, which included using straw and clay walls, for approval to officials at West Grey, near Owen Sound, there were more than a few eyebrows raised.

Click here to read the whole article.

Southeast Alaska companies exploring wood pelletizer

From Sealaska Corporation (www.sealaska.org), dated September 11, 2008 and retrieved Tuesday, September 23, 2008:

Sealaska Corporation and Viking Lumber Inc. announced today that they have entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) to examine an alternate energy supply enterprise utilizing wood waste for Southeast customers. Production facilities will be on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast, Alaska.

“The use of woody biomass as an alternative energy source remains largely untapped,” said Ron Wolfe, Sealaska natural resources manager. “With diesel and fuel costs continuing to rise, it’s vital that we investigate alternative sources of sustainable energy. We believe that wood biomass is a promising alternative.”

Click here to read the whole press release.

Winter is coming …

On September 21, 2008, “AK,” an Alaska Public Radio Network statewide news and entertainment program, ran several features on heating and weatherizing the Alaskan home. Besides containing useful facts, the pieces highlights the challenges (and joys) of living in a cold climate. Listen to “Weatherization,” “Firewood Frenzy,” and “Firewood Health.”

Click here to listen to the program.