Health & Safety Considerations in New Construction
Health & Safety; New Construction; Reference Guide For new housing constructed in Alaska, there are a number of factors that can put occupant health,…
Efficiency Upgrades in Tribal Buildings
CCHRC is working with three communities to act on recommendations from energy audits of local community buildings. In these projects, CCHRC staff and local…
Indoor Agriculture, Energy, and Indoor Air Quality Research
CCHRC is collaborating with the Space Farming Institute in Anchorage to explore the relationship between indoor agriculture, energy, and indoor air quality. The Space…
When should I worry about snow accumulation on the roof?
When should I worry about snow accumulation on the roof? With heavy snow in the Fairbanks area recently, people are starting to worry about…
Tanana Chiefs Conference – Technical Assistance Projects
The Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Rural Energy Department focuses on community-wide energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy efficiency buildings projects. CCHRC provides technical assistance…
Incentivizing Cold-Climate Efficiency in Juneau
This pilot thermalize program will install ductless heat pumps and energy efficiency retrofits in Juneau homes and buildings to evaluate the best options for…
Alaska Healthy Homes
CCHRC is assisting several locations in Alaska with healthy homes remediation. These projects provide healthy housing surveys that identify health and safety hazards, accessibility…
Navigating the New Arctic: Ice-Rich Permafrost Systems
The Navigating the New Arctic: Ice Rich Permafrost Systems project will look at both landscape evolution and adaptation to change in northern Alaska as…
Shopping for a Home in Fairbanks: a Brief Buyer’s Guide
Buying a home in Interior Alaska can be a formidable task. Building codes only pertain to homes inside city limit, many of which are…
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Community Sustainability Models
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Community Sustainability Models CCHRC worked with WHPacific and Nuvista Light and Electric Cooperative to create community sustainability models for villages in the…
Portable Arctic Sanitation System (PASS)
Portable Arctic Sanitation System This project was developed in response to major sanitation needs in rural Alaska, where more than 3,000 households lack running…
Mountain Village Small Home Design
Mountain Village Small Home Design CCHRC is working with the Asa’carsarmiut Tribal Council in the lower Yukon community of Mountain Village to design a…
Chefornak Head Start Building
Chefornak Head Start Building CCHRC is helping design a new Head Start building for Chefornak, a Yup’ik village of roughly 400 in southwest Alaska.…
Arctic Walls
Arctic Walls: an R-60 double wall The Arctic Wall is a double-wall system with a thick layer of cellulose insulation that is designed to…
Using Thermal Mass in Passive Solar Design
What is the role of thermal mass in passive solar design? There are ways to take advantage of long hot days and cut your…
Do Air Source Heat Pumps Work in Alaska?
I’ve heard air source heat pumps are being used in parts of Alaska. Do they work in Fairbanks? Yes they can, but only for…
Boiler Basics
Boiler Basics Today’s boilers offer a wide range of customized options to maximize efficiency, and Alaska’s climate justifies paying for the most efficient system…
Insulation Monitoring in Tununak
Insulation Monitoring in Tununak This project looks at the moisture performance of a thick truss wall with blown-in fiberglass insulation over 2 years in…
Engineering Research Center Planning
Engineering Research Center Planning The Alaska Center for Energy and Power initiated an effort to develop an Arctic Engineering Research Center (ERC) in Alaska…
What’s a Heat Recovery Ventilator and why do I need one?
What’s an HRV and why do I need one? While providing continuous ventilation to your house, HRVs use stale exhaust air to condition fresh…
Maintaining Your Crawlspace
Maintaining Your Crawlspace Crawlspaces are an area of the house that tend to get neglected. The old adage “Out of sight out of mind”…
Arctic Dual Hood for Heat Recovery Ventilation
Arctic Dual Hood for Heat Recovery Ventilation This project aims to develop a new consumer product for ventilation systems: The Arctic Dual Hood. Dual…
Energy Efficiency Programs Impacts Report
Energy Efficiency Programs Impacts Report The Cold Climate Housing Research Center produced two reports showing the value of two energy efficiency programs offered by…
Planning a Home
The Foundation This is your best chance ever to get it right, so know your soils and build accordingly. Good site drainage and foundation…
Secure and Resilient Power Generation in Cold Regions
Secure and Resilient Power Generation in Cold Regions Working in collaboration with Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL)…
Building Science Calculators
Building Science Calculators TitleTopicTypeResource LinkDew Point CalculatorBuildingCalculators, External LinksVisit Website Domestic Hot Water CalculatorBuildingCalculatorsDownload Frost Protected Shallow Foundation Insulation CalculatorBuildingCalculators, External LinksVisit Website HRV…
Home Energy Rebate Program Energy Efficiency Measures Review
Home Energy Rebate Program Energy Efficiency Measures The Home Energy Rebate Program retrofitted nearly 27,000 homes in Alaska, saving Alaskans $261 million in energy…
Biomass Greenhouse Handbook
Biomass Greenhouse Handbook CCHRC produced a handbook for school districts and other organizations about how to build and operate a biomass-heated greenhouse. The project…
Sustainable Priorities for Alaska Rural Communities
Sustainable Priorities for Alaska Rural Communities CCHRC helped synthesize energy efficiency retrofits in the two rural villages of Anvik and Hughes. With funding from the…
“Holistic Approach” Pilot Project in Oscarville
“Holistic Approach” Pilot Project in Oscarville In Fall 2014, a group of rural development professionals and agency leaders held the first roundtable on a…
6-Star Green Program Development
6-Star Green Program Development At the request of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, CCHRC developed an outline of a program to add a 6th Star…
DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects
DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects This series of projects aimed to reduce energy costs in tribal buildings in four different communities in…
Energy Efficiency Program & Policy Recommendations
Energy Efficiency Program & Policy Recommendations Alaska residents see the cost of energy as a major issue. As utility bills skyrocket, this issue escalates,…
Energy Use in Alaska’s Public Facilities
Energy Use in Alaska’s Public Facilities CCHRC worked on a new report that gives the first in-depth picture of the energy use of public…
Fairbanks Nonprofit Retrofit Pilot
Fairbanks Nonprofit Retrofit Pilot The Cold Climate Housing Research Center is initiating a pilot project to help Alaska nonprofits save money by making their…
Alaska Housing Assessment
Alaska Housing Assessment CCHRC updates the Alaska Housing Assessment every few years to provide a current snapshot of the housing stock in Alaska, with…
Building Six Star Homes in Anchorage
Building Six Star Homes in Anchorage This project looked at the costs and benefits for builders to construct 6 Star homes in Southcentral Alaska.…
Designs for Rural Alaska Walls
Designs for Rural Alaska Walls CCHRC has used spray polyurethane foam insulation to build affordable demonstration homes in rural Alaska since 2009. While spray…
Evaluating Window Insulation
Evaluating Window Insulation Moveable Insulation Study CCHRC evaluated eight types of common window insulation methods, including interior and exterior types of moveable insulation. Windows…
Frost-Protected Shallow Foundation Study
Frost-Protected Shallow Foundation Study This project used funding from AHFC to purchase equipment and drilling services to install and monitor five thermocouple strings at…
Wood Storage Best Practices
Wood Storage Best Practices Burning wet wood contributes to harmful PM2.5 pollution, a problem that has plagued the Fairbanks airshed over the past few…
Geopolymer Cements
Geopolymer Cements CCHRC is performing a high level analysis of the local market potential for geopolymer cements. The analysis includes an assessment of available…
Passive Refrigeration
Passive Refrigeration This project looked at ways to use the cold temperatures during Alaska winters to lower the electrical demands of residential refrigerators and…
Mold Survey
Mold Survey In early March, 2003, we were contracted by the HUD Office of Native American Programs (through Magna Systems) to do a rapid…
Evaluating Residential Heating Systems
Evaluating Residential Heating Systems CCHRC, through a grant from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, contracted with Arctic Energy Systems (AES) to measure the actual design…
Evaluating Ventilation Systems & IAQ
Evaluating Ventilation Systems & IAQ Indoor air quality is one of the greatest challenges in cold climate homes. Not only do people spend more…
Wall Moisture Studies
Wall Moisture Studies CCHRC studies various building envelope designs in the Mobile Test Lab, a trailer with nine test wall bays that allows us…
Thermal Storage Technology
Thermal Storage Technology Assessment This technology assessment was sparked by a strong interest in using thermal storage to supplement home heating systems. Thermal storage…
Structural Insulated Panels
Structural Insulated Panels Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are prefabricated building materials used in residential construction in Alaska. This project prepared resources for homeowners who…
Fuel Use Monitoring
Fuel Use Monitoring CCHRC researchers are testing several methods of monitoring fuel use at the household level. The study, funded by the Alaska Housing…
Three-Stage HRV Evaluation
Three-Stage HRV Evaluation In Alaska and Canada, the main defrost strategies for heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) involve recirculating return air across the heat exchanger…
Arctic Wall Study
Vapor Diffusion-Open Walls Study CCHRC monitored the performance of Fairbanks builder Thorsten Chlupp’s passive solar home over one year. The superinsulated house demonstrates innovative…
Combustion Safety Test Failure Analysis
Combustion Safety Test Failure Analysis CCHRC worked with the Alaska Association of Energy Professionals (AAEP) to assess why combustion safety tests are failing in…
Healthy Homes in Alaska
Healthy Home in Alaska CCHRC partnered with the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) on the Healthy Homes Initiative in Fairbanks and Hooper Bay in…
Permafrost Foundations
Permafrost Foundations CCHRC worked with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) to study ways of pairing information on permafrost soils…
Anchorage Foundation Insulation Study
Builders in Southcentral Alaska asked CCHRC to study an insulation strategy currently being recommended that involves insulating with R-38 batts from the rim joist…
Alaska Water-Sewer Challenge
Alaska Water-Sewer Challenge The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation created the Alaska Water and Sewer Challenge to create innovative and cost effective home-based water…
Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumps
Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are heating appliances that act like a refrigerator in reverse. Whereas a refrigerator removes heated air from the interior…
Ground Source Heat Pumps in Cold Climates
Ground Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pump Demonstration at CCHRC CCHRC installed a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system at its Fairbanks facility…
LED Lighting Analysis
LED Lighting Analysis Fluorescent lighting dominates in public facilities and commercial buildings because it is relatively efficient and widely available. Yet LED (light emitting…
Energy Recovery Ventilators in Cold Climates
Energy Recovery Ventilators in Cold Climates Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) exchange stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air, recovering heat and moisture from the…
Vacuum Insulated Panel Test
Vacuum Insulated Panel Test CCHRC is testing a new type of Vacuum Insulated Panel at the Research and Testing Facility. The high R-value panels…
Bath Fan Installation
Bath Fan Installation Best Practices CCHRC will test five Panasonic WhisperGreen Select bath fans at the Research and Testing Facility and evaluate runtime, relative…
Thermal Mass Study
Thermal Mass Study Thermal mass is the ability of a material to absorb and store heat energy, which can be useful when it comes…
Combined Heat & Ventilation
BrHEAThe Development & Evaluation BrHEAThe is a combined heating and ventilation system designed at CCHRC for providing space heating, domestic hot water, and fresh…
Garage Wall Analysis
Garage Wall Analysis Roughly half the homes in Fairbanks and Anchorage have an attached garage. Many garages are filled with exhaust from vehicles and…
Little Ventilation Project
Little Ventilation Project This project looks at ventilation systems that can improve indoor air quality in small homes while limiting energy use. While the…
Slab-on-Grade Foundation Best Practices
Slab-on-Grade Foundation Best Practices On-grade foundations are a popular design in Interior Alaska. This project uses modeling software to address these questions: A shallow…
Building Envelope Overview
Understanding Your Walls Because walls typically represent the largest exterior surface area of a home, from an energy standpoint they are the most important…
Tununak Prototype
Public safety housing in Tununak A new home is being built in Tununak that will benefit the entire community. The village has been unable…
Sustainable Village at UAF
Sustainable Village at the University of Alaska Fairbanks CCHRC partnered with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to design a sustainable student village that includes…
Pilot Project in Oscarville
“Holistic Approach” Pilot Project in Oscarville In Fall 2014, a group of rural development professionals and agency leaders held the first roundtable on a…
Galena Prototype
Galena Prototype Home The 2013 ice jam on the Yukon last spring unleashed some of the worst flooding in Alaska history, filling Galena with…
Newtok/Mertarvik Relocation
Newtok/Mertarvik Relocation CCHRC is working with the Newtok Village Council on several projects to help the community relocate. Newtok is a village on the…
Atmautluak Prototype
Atmautluak Prototype Home CCHRC worked with the Atmautluak Traditional Council to design and build two prototype homes in the community and assist in the…
Buckland Prototype
Buckland Prototype Home CCHRC designed the prototype home in collaboration with the people of Buckland. The Inupiaq Eskimo village of roughly 600 is located…
North Slope Prototypes
North Slope Housing Prototypes CCHRC partnered with the Tagiugiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority (TNHA) to design homes in six North Slope villages. The homes feature a…
Bethel Aviation Housing
Bethel Aviation Housing CCHRC partnered with the The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) to design two duplexes for flight school students in Bethel. The duplexes highlight…
Venetie Prototype
Venetie Prototype Home The Venetie teacher housing complex uses super-insulated log walls to integrate traditional resources and high-performance building science. There’s a severe housing…
Atqasuk Prototype
Atqasuk Prototype Home In 2010 CCHRC worked with the Tagiugiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority and residents of Atqasuk to create a design for an affordable,…
Anaktuvuk Pass Prototype
Anaktuvuk Pass Prototype Home CCHRC partnered with the Tagiugmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority (TNHA) and the village of Anaktuvuk Pass to design and construct an…
Quinhagak Prototype
Quinhagak Prototype Home The Native Village of Kwinhagak (NVK) asked CCHRC to partner with the residents to design a home that is affordable, energy…
Crooked Creek Prototype
Crooked Creek Prototype Home In May 2011, a flood destroyed about a quarter of the homes in Crooked Creek, a small village on the…
Combustion Safety
Combustion Safety Combustion safety refers to the safe operation of combustion heating appliances, such as boilers and wood stoves, and goes hand in hand…
CCHRC Prototypes
Our Design Projects The below prototypes and designs incorporate experimental building and energy technologies—such as super-insulated walls or adjustable foundations—aimed at improving the energy…
Building Science Overview
Building Science at CCHRC Building science is the intersection of many disciplines–physics, chemistry, engineering, and more. It requires an understanding of not just heat,…
Building Envelopes
Building Envelopes Building envelopes are the bread and butter of our research, with a major focus on developing enclosures that are cost-effective, durable, and…
Mechanical Overview
Mechanical Systems Mechanical systems include all the heating, cooling, and air handling systems that are used to keep your home comfortable and healthy. Heating…
Energy Overview
Energy Overview Have you heard the saying about putting a drain plug in the bathtub before adding more water? That’s the same way we…
Ventilation Overview
Ventilation Ventilation is critical in any climate because it replaces stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air, and flushes out potential pollutants caused by…
Foundations Overview
Foundations A building’s foundation must be carefully engineered to support the weight of the structure. In cold climates, foundations are susceptible to heat loss…
Air Source Heat Pumps
Air Source Heat Pumps Air source heat pumps have traditionally been used in warmer climates than Alaska for both heating and air conditioning. However,…
BrHEAThe System
BrHEAThe System The BrHEAThe system is an integrated heating and ventilation system developed by CCHRC to improve energy efficiency in homes while maintaining healthy…
Crawlspace Foundations
Crawlspace Foundation A crawlspace foundation is a conventional option for building on stable soils. It consists of footings and walls (typically poured concrete) that…
Exhaust-Only Ventilation
Exhaust-only Ventilation Exhaust-only ventilation is a one-sided system that typically relies on bathroom and kitchen fans to get rid of stale air but does…
On-grade Foundations
On-grade Foundations On-grade foundations are a popular design in Interior Alaska because they are less expensive than crawlspace foundations without having the energy penalty…
Biomass
Biomass Biomass is a valuable resource in many parts of Alaska where firewood is rich and plentiful. For many, it’s a fuel you can…
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground Source Heat Pumps Ground source heat pumps take heat from the ground and use electricity to “step up” the heat to a temperature…
Heat Recovery Ventilators
Heat Recovery Ventilators & Energy Recovery Ventilators Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs) are becoming increasingly common in cold climate construction and are almost indispensable in…
Window Retrofits
Windows In cold climates, a large amount of heat is lost through windows during the winter. For instance, a double-pane window might allow as…
Weatherization
Weatherization Weatherization refers to the process of making your home more energy-efficient through taking simple measures like caulking windows and weather-stripping doors. Like any…
Wall Retrofits
Wall Retrofits Walls make up the greatest surface area of your home. Depending on how well-insulated your current walls are, a wall retrofit may…
Retrofits Overview
Retrofits The video follows an energy rater as he physically locates typical air leakage points in a home using a blower door test. More…
Solar
Solar The world’s northern latitudes offer a unique opportunity for solar energy. While we have little to no sunlight in the winter months, we…
Permafrost Foundations
Permafrost Foundations The #1 piece of advice for building on permafrost: Don’t do it! That’s because homes are designed with the assumption that the…
Boilers & Furnaces
Boilers A boiler is an appliance that heats water for distribution to a hydronic heating system. They run on propane, natural gas, oil, electricity…
Thermal Storage
Thermal Storage Thermal storage refers to technologies that store heat for later use. It can take many forms: water storage tanks that allow residents…
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor Air Quality Indoor air quality refers to the quality of the atmosphere in a building, including temperature, humidity, and the amount of pollutants…
Electrical
Electrical Power systems are important to any home, whether in the circumpolar north or elsewhere around the globe. As the technology surrounding electrical systems…
Plumbing
Plumbing Appropriately designed plumbing systems in climates that are subject to freezing temperatures are of utmost importance. All components of the water system must…
Double Walls
Double Walls The double wall has been used to build energy efficient homes for a long time. While there are many ways to do…
Furred-in Walls
Interior Furred Wall An interior furred wall is a common method of achieving a cost-effective, energy efficient, highly airtight wall. A compromise between a…
Integrated Truss Walls
Integrated Truss The integrated truss is a prefabricated wall assembly that connects the roof, wall, and floor into a single structural piece that can…
REMOTE Walls
REMOTE Wall One of the greatest challenges of building in a cold climate is managing moisture in the building envelope. That’s because of a…
Roofs
Roofs Of all the building components, the roof system faces some of the most severe challenges. In cold climates, a roof must be properly…
Windows
Windows In general, windows account for a proportionately small area of the thermal envelope. At the same time they are one of the most…