Published Nov 30, 2023 by Arctic Business Journal Sometimes to get a job done in rural Alaska, you have to learn how to do it yourself.
Equipped with thermometers, hair dryers and infrared cameras, Alaska Teaching Through Technology students learned how to assess a home’s energy efficiency, make recommendations and weatherize buildings with accessible materials.
Resiliency is about rebounding from unique challenges, whether that be weathering an unpredictably brutal winter, enduring rising fuel prices or living on a microgrid off the road system. Participating T3 students gained a toolkit full of skills and weatherization gear that will not only keep a house warm and actualize cost savings for homeowners but also make a dynamic DIY impact within their communities.
George Reising, the T3 Energy Club’s leader and curriculum developer at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, has been preparing high schoolers for this weekend with weekly meetings spent analyzing heat transfer and drawing microgrid diagrams of their hometowns. Students came into this weekend with foundational knowledge and lived experiences unique to rural, off-grid communities. They left with applicable energy auditing skills and a college credit.
On Saturday, students conducted a data recording at the University of Alaska Anchorage’s campus. One group wielded a Wattmeter to measure the amount of energy being used by appliances, another group operated a digital thermometer to understand heat transfer through walls versus windows.
Mark Masteller, an adjunct assistant professor of sustainable energy and building efficiency expert, scientifically explained the thermal envelope of a house, cold drafts and their relationship to convection, and how retrofits like door sweeps and weather stripping can make a measurable difference.
Another sustainable energy professor, Chandler Kemp, focused his lesson on the role of humidity and moisture on home heating. Kemp lives in Dillingham, and empowered students to approach energy audits in their communities with a DIY mindset.
“This class challenged students in many ways: traveling far from home, working with new people, studying novel concepts and developing hands-on skills,” Kemp said. “It was inspiring to see students rise to meet each challenge as they came.”
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