Energy efficiency and weatherization: AHFC administers healthy house programs for Alaskans.

• Author: Kalytiak, Tracy
• Position: BUILDING ALASKA

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Now is a good time to invest in sealing, insulating and ventilating a home, because the State of Alaska is offering a rebate program that can reimburse up to $10,000 in changes that make a home more energy efficient. And the federal government is paying 30 percent of any energy improvement up to $1,500 that improves the energy efficiency ova home.

Cary Bolling couldn't understand why he sneezed, wheezed and had so much trouble breathing. His difficulties grew so severe he had to be hospitalized and placed in an oxygen tent. When a doctor finally administered a skin test, Bolling learned he was allergic to animal dander and dust mites.

"I had a very compromised immune system," Bolling said. "We had to basically take out the rugs and carpeting in my room and wrap my mattress in a plastic liner."

Bolling was a freshman in high school during those miserable days in Mobile, Ala. He now works for the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., which manages a variety of programs designed to improve the quality of all housing throughout Alaska. Long involved with weatherization and energy-efficiency grants, studies and programs, AHFC is now carrying out research projects with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center.

AHFC also offers Alaskans information about factors in their home or work place that could be making them sick and gives information about what can be done to remedy those things.

SICK HOMES

The biggest culprits making homes in Alaska's cold climate "sick", Bolling says, are moisture and inadequate ventilation. And the best solution to these problems is to ensure a home is properly sealed, insulated and ventilated--factors that happen to be characteristics of energy-efficient homes.

"[AHFC] weatherization crews go into a lot of homes and find some very unhealthy situations where there's been mold growing on the walls because the house has really high moisture levels," Bolling said. "You might have a small house with a lot of people in it and it's a very cold environment. You've got a lot of moisture inside the house and it's really cold outside so what happens is the moisture can't really get out of the house."

That moisture can condense on windows and seep into window frames and wallboard, creating an ideal environment for mold to grow. Dust mites thrive in a too-humid living space, feasting on skin cells and other detritus that drifts into a home's carpets, curtains and bedding.

"Imagine dust mites living in carpet fibers...