My Home
Making energy efficiency improvements to your home will not only save you money on utility bills and pay you back over time for the cost of the improvements, it will also make your house more comfortable and healthy to live in. Saving energy also protects you from the impact of future increases in energy prices or fuel shortages.
Are you unsure of where to start? In this section you’ll find links to and information about resources and programs that will help you save money and make your home in Alaska more efficient. Also find information about trainings, workshops and products related to home efficiency. Don’t feel overwhelmed – just inform yourself and then pick something and get started! Maybe something with a quick payback - like replacing your bulbs with compact fluorescents, or something you can get help with - like the AHFC Weatherization or Home Energy Rebate programs, or something that you need to do anyway – like replacing a broken appliance with an energy star one! Once you start saving money, you’ll be hooked!
Every home is different, but here is a bit more information about 3 easy ways to start saving:
Get a Home Energy Assessment: Sometimes called an energy audit, this assessment is the first step to knowing what would best help your house stop wasting energy. If you sign up for the Home Energy Rebate or Weatherization Program, this will be the first step. If you are not planning to sign up for these programs, an audit is a relatively inexpensive way to diagnose your home's individual needs and discover hidden problems with air leakage, ventilation, etc. The video below gives a general overview of the process, but individual auditors may use slightly different methods. A list of qualified home energy raters in Alaska is kept by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation.
Change Your Lightbulbs: Yes, this is on all the 'lists of things to do', because it is so easy and pays you back so quickly for your investment! Changing your incandescent bulbs out for compact fluorescents or the new LED bulbs will save you 75% of the energy used for lighting, and the bulbs will last much longer as well. Learn more with our Guide to Efficient Lighting.
Weatherize your Home: Recommendations from a home energy assessment can give you details on where you need to weatherize and how much ventilation you need for a healthy home (seal it tight, but ventilate right for good indoor air quality!). If you can feel cold air leaks around doors, windows, outlets, and other places you can add door sweeps, weatherstripping, foam, caulking and other sealing products to keep the cold out and increase your comfort. This video gives some basics on sealing small gaps, such as those around windows, with caulking (of course, if you are making your home more efficient, you are no dummy!):