Panels and Paper: Valley manufacturers produce Alaska's fuel-saving insulation and more.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: MANUFACTURING

The most recent Alaska-Made Building Products Directory was published in March 2013 by the Division of Economic Development of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The directory's purpose is to connect both industrial and private builders with Alaska manufacturers. It states, "Buying local creates jobs, grows businesses, and stimulates economic diversification across Alaska, helping to strengthen communities, economies, and ultimately making life better for Alaskans." Companies in the directory manufacture everything from countertops to windows to steel to roofing or landscaping materials.

There are definite advantages for builders to at least consider Alaska-manufactured products. Beyond supporting communities and keeping jobs in Alaska, local manufacturers make products that work in Alaska for Alaska, with an understanding of the state's weather, logistical concerns, and cultural sensibilities. In particular, an almost universal concern in Alaska is how to heat a building. From homeowners to businesses renting commercial space to property managers and owners, Alaska's long, dark winters make energy, fuel, and efficiency an important consideration.

Alaska Insulated Panels

Ron Burkhardsmeier founded R-Valued Homes in 1998, but being a builder wasn't his original intention. "My background was heating and ventilating; I saw energy prices in Alaska skyrocketing, and thought SIP [structural insulated panels] would be marketable, and I found a company in Canada that was making a polyurethane panel. I thought I could sell it to just individuals, but I found out that was not practical--people didn't want to believe in it. So I became a builder and I built from 1998 to 2007 to show the value of polyurethane panels."

The change in plans didn't diminish Burkhardsmeier's commitment to quality building. During his tenure as a builder he won nine consecutive awards from the Governor's Office for energy efficient construction and a national cold climate gold award from the NHBA/DOE.

By 2007 Burkhardsmeier hit his goal and had garnered attention for SIP as a building envelope option, and he was selling just the panels. In 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act injected $27 billion into energy efficiency and renewable energy research and investment and almost $15 billion toward housing, including money for the rehabilitation of Native American housing as well as energy efficient modernization of low-income housing...