By Art Nash
With prices on the increase and the uncertainty of events in the Middle East, some Fairbanks residents have been looking more closely at energy conservation (often habits/behavior driven) and efficiency (often technology driven).
One Fairbanks resident, even before the latest energy crisis, has easily implemented great efficiency measures through a solar thermal panel collector. Former University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletic Director Randy Pitney attended an Extension workshop on constructing the 4-feet by 8-feet units, which we taught with expertise from the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
These flat thermal panels are made of common DIY materials and are not all that sophisticated as passive auxiliary heaters. Randy hung a unit vertically on his exterior garage wall facing south with an open view over the south end of the Chena River. With the help of a local engineering firm, he was able to set up a fan system, which at today’s electrical rates costs him 4 cents a day to run and distribute the robust thermal load wafting into his garage.
You may have seen similar panels constructed and applied vertically by Jewel Isaac Construction on the side of a laundromat off the Old Steese Highway in the city limits of Fairbanks; many people have commented to me about these visible pieces.
For those who aren’t “prosumers” (generating or collecting at least part of their own energy), many are storing it as raw fuel.
At a high-volume set of gas pumps last month, I spoke with the on-site attendant as I was filling my 30-gallon vehicle tank. He mentioned they cannot sell more than the fuel in two 55-gallon drums pumped each visit. Growing up in the early 1970s, I recall seeing several block-long lines of cars in Denver just waiting for a chance to fill two red jugs of leaded gas. Rationing gas is a way of conserving, as were the increased purchases of small import coupes that started to replace the large American sedans on the road for the rest of the 1970s.
There are solid predictions of potentially a 50% increase in the price of gas/diesel, even after the Straits of Hormuz opens up to allow crude and merchant traffic through. Thus, people are storing up gas/diesel, as well as heating oil. Heating oil does not go “stale” as gasoline can, resulting in a drop in octane after it has been sitting over the course of a year. But it can grow fungi and bacteria that can be exacerbated when stored in clear poly drums where UV light can enter. This growth should be avoided as it can cause havoc with mechanical combustion equipment.
The other thing to keep in mind when storing fuels when they are cheaper is to be sure to use transfer pumps that are designed for that fuel when you eventually use it. Electric pumps may work fine for heating oil, but depending on the type of fuel being pumped, some could cause a spark when transferring gasoline.
Whether you decide with the current and likely impending increase in energy costs to insulate your home better (efficiency), figure out how to carpool to work (conservation), or any of the other above methods. Keep a log of your actions with monthly estimates of savings in dollars as well as the difference in time spent for these efforts to see what energy efficiency or conservation method can give you the most bang for your bucks!
If you have questions about energy savings ideas in your home or with transportation, call Energy Specialist Art Nash at 907-322-2309 or email alnashjr@alaska.edu.
