Yakutat T'lingit Tribe – 2014 Project

Background

The Tribe was awarded Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs and the Denali Commission in 2013. This grant is a result of the technical assistance provided under that competition.

The current population of Yakutat is 622, down from 808 in 2000 (Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development  2012). The community is isolated among the lowlands along the Gulf of Alaska, 225 miles northwest of Juneau and 220 miles southeast of Cordova. Yakutat Borough is within and surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

The climate is maritime and characterized by relatively mild and often rainy weather. Yakutat receives some of the heaviest precipitation in the state, averaging 132 inches of precipitation and 219 inches of snowfall each year. Yakutat has no road access. The airport has daily commercial jet service with air taxis and float planes. The state ferry provides service, and barges deliver goods monthly during the winter and more frequently in summer.

The electric rates average $0.55/kilowatt-hour (kWh). The State of Alaska Power Cost Equalization program subsidizes $0.32/kWh of this cost on only a portion of the usage for residential and community facility customers. Heating fuel is sold commercially by Delta Western; the current price is $5.41/gallon.

Kwaan Plaza Facility

Based on electricity and fuel oil prices in effect at the time of the audit, and based on the adjusted building baseline the annual predicted energy costs for the Yak-Tat Kwaan Plaza facility are $64,894 per year, including $42,336 for electricity and $22,558 for heating oil.

However, according to Energy Audits of Alaska, projected savings once the Yanmar micro combined heat and power (MCHP) system is installed and energy efficiency measures are implemented, the building’s energy consumption will be reduced by about 49.7%, and energy costs will be reduced by about 44.8% to $35,826.

Community Center Facility

With annual Community Center energy costs running at approximately $22,728, projected savings from implementing energy efficiency measures will reduce costs by about $3,925, or 17%.

Project Objectives

The goal of this project is to reduce energy costs by 45% to 53% in the Kwaan Plaza facility and 15% to 17% in the Tribal Community Center facility.

Project Scope

The Kwaan Plaza facility has been selected for energy upgrades and efficiency measures because it houses the YCHC, the only medical and emergency health care facility in the community. The community is only accessible by air or water, which means it is isolated along the north gulf coast of Alaska, hundreds of miles away from any major hospital, so  the health clinic is critical. The Kwaan Plaza was built specifically to house the community health center and has been leased to the Tribe since 1990. Reducing the cost of heat and power to this building will increase the funds available to the YCHC to provide additional and critical medical services to community residents, tribal members, and visitors.

Likewise, the tribal Community Center provides critical social services to the Native and non-Native residents and houses mental health and substance abuse counseling services, Tribal and public assistance programs, the local food bank, job placement and training, and other critical services. The Tribe has been leasing the Tribal Community Center since 2007. Reducing the cost of heat and power to the tribal Community Center building will increase the funds available to HS to provide critical social services to community residents, tribal members, and visitors.

In addition to implementing energy efficiency measures to both buildings, the Tribe will also install a 10-kW propane-fueled MCHP unit in the Kwaan Plaza building. The Tribe intends to use off-the-shelf technology to increase energy efficiency and reduce heat and energy costs through the installation and use of the Yanmar unit. This unit will generate both heat and electricity and can function independent of the existing power grid. With kWh demands averaging less than 7,500 per month, one 10-kW unit will meet current and future energy and heating needs. The Yanmar MCHP unit uses an internal combustion engine powered by clean natural gas or propane to produce both heat and electric power. This high-efficiency generator utilizes the heat generated from the liquid-cooled engine to heat buildings and domestic hot water to a temperature of 158˚F. That output, along with a total efficiency as high as 88%, makes the MCHP unit suitable for the Kwaan Plaza building. Although this technology is relatively new to North America, thousands of these units have been installed worldwide and continue to deliver energy savings and efficiencies.

Project Location

The community is isolated among the lowlands along the Gulf of Alaska, 225 miles northwest of Juneau and 220 miles southeast of Cordova. Yakutat Borough is within and surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.