Need more money? Consider energy efficiency

To the editor:

Heating bills eating up your budget and getting larger every winter? You’re not alone.

I moved to the Valley in 1994 and purchased a home built in 1982 (3,300 square feet) heated with propane and heating oil. Each year, my heating costs have gone up. In 2011, my total bills hit almost $6,000. Something had to be done. I started talking to some of my neighbors with natural gas and their bills were a fraction of mine. In 2012, I converted to natural gas. My heating costs this past winter? Less than $700!

Natural gas is clean, abundant and cheap. The USA has more than 200 years worth of supply. Heating oil is around $4 a gallon, propane $5 a gallon and natural gas a fraction of these two. There are many contractors in the Valley that can help you with a natural gas conversion.

Let me describe the process. Here in Alaska we are fortunate to have the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. (ahfc.us/efficiency/energy-programs; 1-800-478-AHFC), a federally funded program designed to help homeowners improve energy efficiency. They can help with the costs of natural gas conversion, but first you must contact them and ask for an energy rating. The rater will come to your home and make recommendations. After you get your rating, you begin the improvements. After you finish, the rater will come and do a final assessment. After completing your improvements, AHFC will reimburse you for a portion (but not all) of your costs. In my case, I not only did the natural gas conversion, but added extensive insulation as well.

Out of a total project cost of $22,000, I was reimbursed $6,000 (note: I installed a top-of-the-line central heating system, but room heaters are much cheaper).

Assuming a $5,000 annual savings in heating bills, I’ll have the whole thing paid off in three years. After that, there will be enough yearly savings to take my family for a nice Hawaii vacation. Plus, my home now has a Five Star energy rating, which significantly raises its resale value.

Heating costs are one of the biggest living expenses in Alaska. Consider getting your energy rating and starting the process.

D. Lynn Mickleson

Palmer