What’s a BTU? Heating Units 101 There’s no better place to examine units than the drink aisle of the grocery store: a 12-oz bottle of soda, a 2-liter jug of lemonade, a gallon of milk. Liquid ounces, liters, gallons, pints, and cups are all measure volume. We have an...
Boiler Basics Today’s boilers offer a wide range of customized options, and Alaska’s climate justifies paying for the most efficient system possible up front, since the extra money will be paid back several times during its operating lifetime. Because of the many...
Air source heat pumps: harvesting heat from cold air While air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are gaining traction in milder regions of Alaska like Southeast, they aren’t powerful enough to be used as a primary heating system in the Interior because they only work down to...
Shallow Frost Protected Foundations a more economical option on the right site When building a home in a cold climate, the foundation is traditionally placed on undisturbed or compacted soils below the frost line to better resist the effects of ground freezing and...
Do I need to worry about radon when building my house? The short answer is yes. Fairbanks is known for having soil gases like radon, especially in higher elevations and areas with schist. The radioactive gas produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in the ground,...
