This past month, the Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund (ACRF) has completed five new heating bill lowering projects. Five Sitka and Ketchikan families are emitting reduced carbon dioxide from their homes and look forward to lower heating bills. With the start of 2024’s Carnival Cruise Line partnership, along with our Allen Marine Tours partnership, ACRF’s reach now spans the panhandle! On average, these five households will each eliminate 350 annual gallons of heating oil, with work catalyzed by Carnival and Allen Marine. 600,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (300 tons), nearly 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year, will be avoided over the heat pumps’ 15-year suggested lifespans.

We are excited to see the work of ACRF expanding to families across Southeast Alaska! Our region is blessed with clean and local hydropower, local energy fueled by rainfall that at times seems endless. For those communities that derive their electricity from this rainfall, costs are low. Combine low rates with a heat pump’s efficiency and it’s obvious that ‘heating locally’ is the way to go. Hydropower is local – local rain, local transmission, local workforce, local dollars. Southeast hydro does not depend on a barge or distant refinery and is virtually oil-free.

We can’t thank our supporting business partners and supporting household members enough. We couldn’t do this good work without all of you!