New Report: $125 Million in Energy Cost Savings Possible for Publicly-Owned Buildings in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, AK – October 30, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) released today the first in-depth report about public facility energy usage in Alaska, paving the way for better understanding of this issue. The report was completed after conducting comprehensive energy audits on 327 State, municipal and school district-owned buildings using American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. Based on the collected data, it is estimated that more than 5,000 publicly owned buildings exist in Alaska. The estimated energy cost to the public each year totals approximately $641,245,000. At the average projected savings of $25,000 per building per year, potential savings generated from energy-efficient improvements could total $125 million.

AHFC believes the report will contribute to understanding energy consumption in Alaska and also the overall condition of public buildings. Other key report findings include:

• In general, buildings in Anchorage, southeast Alaska (outside of Juneau) and the North Slope appeared to be less energy efficient than others in the state.

• Numerous buildings appeared to have opportunities for significant energy savings for relatively low investment costs.

• There is an overall lack of accountability when it comes to managing and tracking energy use in many buildings statewide.

“The data paints a telling picture of how the high cost of energy in Alaska plagues our communities and reinforces the

wisdom of Governor Parnell and the legislature when they provided funds for the $250 million revolving loan program that allows communities to borrow money to pay for building improvements now, leading to savings for years to come,” commented Dan Fauske, AHFC CEO.

The project, led by AHFC, was a collaborative effort of more than 40 auditors and engineers statewide. Richard S.

Armstrong PE, LLC headed the project as author and editor of the paper, and other contributing organizations include:

Alaska Energy Engineering LLC, Central Alaska Engineering Company, Nortech Engineering Inc., Cold Climate Housing

Research Center, Renewable Energy Alaska Project and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. The white paper, Energy

Use in Alaska’s Public Facilities, can be found on the AHFC website at:
http://www.ahfc.us/iceimages/loans/public_facilities_whitepaper_102212.pdf

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) is a public corporation with a long history of providing Alaskans access to safe, quality and affordable housing through home financing programs, energy efficiency and weatherization programs, public housing and more. Since 1986, AHFC has contributed $1.9 billion to the State of Alaska’s General Fund.

Contact:
Soren Johansson
AHFC Public Relations Manager
(907) 330-8447
sjohansson (at) ahfc (dot) us