By CCHRC Staff

Q: Does it matter what type of wood I burn in my woodstove?

Most species of local wood are suitable for burning in a stove but do not burn wood that has been treated or painted. Regardless of the species, the best wood to use has been properly seasoned and stored. Wood that is fresh, or “green,” contains higher amounts of moisture, which will bring down a stove’s efficiency and cause excessive particulates and creosote buildup inside a chimney.

On a related point, only burn paper in your stove when starting a fire. Too much paper has the potential to produce a fire that is more than a stove or chimney can handle. Burning coal in a wood stove will have the same effect; so do not burn coal unless the stove is rated for it. Overall, avoid burning large amounts of paper or other combustibles that can significantly raise the stack temperature or cause the stove to burn hotter than it is designed to.

Q: I am thinking of installing solar panels on my home or property. What things do I need to think about before I begin?

There are a number of things to take into consideration when looking into a solar power system. First are the cost of electricity and financial incentives. A solar photovoltaic system has a large upfront cost but will provide savings over many years and will eventually pay itself off. Installing a large solar power system and selling the home a few years later will not provide enough time to pay back the investment. However, even pinning down exact numbers for payback can be a challenge since the cost of fuel and electricity both fluctuate. The federal government also provides tax incentives for solar panels and solar thermal systems.

More information can be found at www.energystar.gov. Golden Valley Electric Association’s SNAP program provides incentives as well.

More information on SNAP is available at www.gvea.com/ energyprograms/snap/.

Another challenge is location. Property on the north side of a hill will not collect as much light as a south-facing exposure. Also look at the amount of direct sunlight on a solar panel throughout the day. Shade from trees and other objects will lower the amount of power you make.

Consider the amount of maintenance that goes into a solar power system. Snow and leaves fall on solar arrays and should be cleaned off.

The amount debris can be limited by tilting panels to 49 degrees in the non-snowy months and 90 degrees in other months, which will also help capture more light from the sun’s low angle.

Contact a professional for further information and tips before getting started with an installation.

Alaska HomeWise articles promote home awareness for the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). If you have a question, e-mail us at akhomewise@cchrc.org.You can also call the CCHRC at (907) 457-3454.

A friend says that among his most satisfying moments are those he stands contemplating his pile of firewood. He inhales the sweetness of birch, the tang of aspen and the sharp bite of spruce while he ponders the moisture wafting out of his wood.

My friend knows how to have a good time. And he is appreciating a process that is important in places where people burn wood and release its smoke into an air column that doesn’t stir much in winter — burned dry wood results in much better air quality than wetter wood.

“I think it’s a big issue,” said John Davies, a longtime woodburner and senior researcher for energy policy at the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks. Researchers at the center recently collected firewood from people in Fairbanks to check it for moisture content, and are also measuring the drying progress of cordwood they have stacked on the grounds of the center in Fairbanks. Fairbanks often exceeds Environmental Protection Agency air quality standards. Its poor winter air quality is due in a large part to the emissions from wood smoke. People make the problem worse when burning unseasoned wood.

The borough began taking applications last week for its wood stove repair and replacement program.

“The program is up and operational,” air quality director Glenn Miller said.

Applications are available at the borough air quality office on Peger Road.

The program is still evolving, and applications won’t be available on the borough website until final modifications are made, Miller said.

Qualifying residents will receive government assistance replacing outdoor wood boilers and old wood stoves for cleaner-burning models approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Cash payouts and tax credits are available to those who switch to gas or oil heat.

The program is part of a larger endeavor to improve the air in Fairbanks.

The number of people who heat with wood in the Fairbanks North Star Borough is slowly rising, a new study shows.

Researchers called 300 area households last winter and asked a series of questions, mostly regarding home heating habits.

They found the number of borough households using wood heat has gone up about 7 percent since 2006.

A breakdown by area shows wood heat is more popular in North Pole than any other ZIP code.

Borough administrators are using the survey results to help decide where to steer funding for a wood stove replacement program. Future studies will be used to gauge whether the local air pollution control program is working.

Continue reading: Study finds more Fairbanks borough homes keep warm by burning wood than in 2006

A ballot group succeeded in gaining the signatures to put a question to the Fairbanks area voters that, if approved, would reverse new air pollution regulations.

A Fairbanks North Star Borough canvassing board approved the signatures last week.

The question about whether the borough should be allowed to regulate home heating devices will appear on the Oct. 5 ballot, according to borough officials and a member of the ballot measure group. The group needed 2,379 signatures.

Rick VanderKolk, treasurer of the North Star Landowners, said the ballot measure group is raising money to publicize the measure, dubbed The Home Heating Protection Act.

If approved by the voters, the act states that “the borough shall not ban, prohibit or fine residents for the use of home heating devices.” It effectively reverses air pollution regulations passed last month and aimed at dense chimney smoke that puts out a harmful pollutant known as PM 2.5. The federal government has put the borough on notice to reduce levels of PM 2.5.

The ballot measure group is backed by Rep. Tammy Wilson, R-North Pole; businessman Craig Compeau; radio personality Michael Dukes and others.

A local group opposed to a new borough ordinance that regulates the sale, installation and use of wood and coal stoves, has gathered enough signatures to challenge the ordinance.

North Star Landowners, sponsors of The Home Heating Protection Act, gathered more than 3,000 signatures for the petition, according to group treasurer Rick VanderKolk. A total of 2,379 qualified signatures are required before the initiative can be added to the October election ballot.

The petition books have been submitted to the Fairbanks North Star Borough municipal clerk’s office and will be reviewed next week.

“The signatures were collected rapidly. I hope this sends the Borough the clear message that air quality problems are isolated, not pervasive,” Rep. Tammie Wilson stated in an e-mail. Wilson is one of the initiative’s sponsors.

The borough ordinance, which also restricts chimney smoke emissions in an attempt to lower levels of a fine particulate pollution known as PM 2.5., was adopted June 10.

A group trying to overturn new wood stove regulations has until June 24 to gather 2,379 qualified signatures to put a question before the Fairbanks North Star Borough voters on Oct. 5.

“We are well under way,” said Rick VanderKolk, treasurer of the North Star Landowners, the group formed to promote the ballot measure. “There’s been a light signature gathering effort by various sponsors of the petition since April.”

The Borough Assembly on Thursday adopted new wood and coal stove restrictions along with chimney smoke emissions standards to combat a harmful pollutant known as PM 2.5.

VanderKolk said he’s already noticed heightened interest in the initiative since the assembly adopted the ordinance.

Supporters of the new regulations hope they help improve air quality, but opponents think they’re too restrictive.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly adopted new chimney smoke regulations early Friday in an effort to crack down on air pollution, although the rules are looser than those sought by Mayor Luke Hopkins.

The panel approved the ordinance in a 5-3 vote shortly after midnight after listening to three hours of public testimony and making multiple changes to the mayor’s plan.

One of the changes was to reduce the fines tenfold. In another change, the assembly relaxed chimney smoke emissions standards.

“I think we ended up with a good ordinance that protects the health of the people,” said Assemblywoman Nadine Winters, who supported the measure.

One of the questions put to borough officials during a forum on wood smoke pollution was this:

“Isn’t there enough existing laws on the books to take care of neighbors with outdoor boilers being rude to their neighbors and not burning the proper material? Don’t you already have that without having to go through all this?”

The long and the short answer is no.

That’s why there has been no action taken against people who have smoked out their neighborhoods on numerous occasions during the past few winters. The borough had about 150 complaints last winter and could do nothing about them except make a record of who called and when.

Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – entry Borough needs nuisance standard fines to protect health property values

Fort Yukon could turn to wood-fired power to ease its reliance on diesel fuel. Tanana could install wind turbines and start using half as much fuel within a few years.

The Alaska Energy Authority published those scenarios and about 200 more, including cost estimates, this week. The report comes less than a month after the Legislature set, as official state policy, the target of using wind turbines, hydroelectric dams and other renewable projects for at least half Alaska’s electricity by 2025.

“This gives you the pathway to get there,” said Steve Haagenson, director of the authority.

The agency released the report, an “energy pathway,” to coincide with a three-day rural energy conference in Fairbanks that ended Thursday.

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