Habitat for Humanity and Whirlpool Build Efficient Homes in Anchorage
Whirlpool Corp.
Habitat for Humanity of Anchorage is teaming up with appliance maker Whirlpool Corporation to build an energy-efficient, climate resilient home.
Neighbor Drive
The project brings the BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative to Anchorage. The three-year partnership started in June 2021 to expand efforts to help homeowners mitigate the impact of climate change.
Habitat for Humanity Anchorage is building a home that incorporates energy-efficient features, including insulation, ventilation, heating, cooling, and plumbing. The only project on the organization’s construction schedule for the rest of this year is on Neighbor Drive in Northeast Anchorage; registration is still open for volunteer builders through November.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, 25 percent of households in Alaska faced energy insecurity in 2020. As a result, homeowners were forced to forgo paying for necessities, such as food or medicine, or kept their homes at unsafe or unhealthy temperatures to limit energy output. Some received a disconnection notice due to missed payments.
Through the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program, Habitat homeowners can save on monthly utility bills using energy-efficient appliances. Habitat affiliates across the country are building eighty-five energy-efficient, climate-resilient homes. In the first year of the program, Habitat affiliates built fifty-five homes, which exceeded local code standards for energy and hazard resilience options.
Since 1999, Whirlpool Corporation and Habitat for Humanity have worked together to build affordable homes. Over the 22-year partnership, the company has donated more than $130 million to Habitat and more than 200,000 energy-efficient appliances. The company also engages its employees to volunteer with Habitat to build homes.
Setting the Price at the Pump
Gasoline and diesel prices fluctuate with the crude oil market and refinery capacity, and not always to the advantage of gas stations. “Whether the price of oil is low or high, it’s not necessarily driving profit,” Vitus Energy Co-founder Mark Smith says. “In fact, high prices consume more working capital, so we’re not a big fan of high prices, either.”