Do it yourself,….. Or not.

A new letter was provided for the Energy Rebate program this month, and was forwarded to us by our friendly competition and local chapter president of ASHI, The American Society of Home Inspectors.

It has come to light that there is a greater requirement for permitting when performing work and maintenance to your home (within the municipality) than has been commonly known. The need for a permit has always been there, when building new or performing structural repairs or renovations, but the scope of additional work may not have been. The Anchorage Municipal code requirement (23.10.104.1) for permitting can be accessed through this link:

http://www.muni.org/Departments/OCPD/development/BSD/2009%20Building%20Codes/Adminstrativecodesection23.10.104.1PermitRequired.pdf

This requirement pertains to all work performed by a home owner or contractor working on the homeowners behalf.

A home owner is entitled to perform much of the work, but is also required to act as the contractor and make sure any and all permits that may be required are obtained from the Municipality should you employ others to perform the work. That policy (AG.07) is accessible at the following link:

http://www.muni.org/Departments/OCPD/development/BSD/Policies/policyag07u.pdf

This clearly details what is required of the homeowner for the various ways to manage your construction or renovation project, and where any permitting is required. This applies to not only the Municipality of Anchorage, but State of Alaska and possibly federal requirements as well.

The requirements go so far as when a fuel fired appliance (water heater, boiler, furnace or fireplace) is installed or replaced, as well as any bath or kitchen ducting that is replaced or upgraded. If windows are replaced and the opening is enlarged, a permit is required, any electrical changes or the replacement of the roof.

The part that really caught my eye was in the clarifications and liability portions of policy AG.07, in that as the homeowner we are liable for any inaction in not obtaining permits as well as any faulty workmanship resulting in loss. This also appears to be an open-ended liability, if it can be proven, with any subsequent owner of the property.

Many portions of the Municipality of Anchorage are not served by the Building safety department. Areas such as Eagle River, Chugiak, Eklutna, Girdwood, Bear Valley and Stuckagain Heights, are all within the Municipality but fall outside of their inspection preview. Those areas are generally served by independent code compliance inspectors such as yours truly.

All the best and we will keep looking out for you.

Bye-bye incandescents!!

Energy costs are forever rising so the need for conservation is growing. One of the best ways to save on electrical energy is to change our old incandescent light bulbs for newer more efficient fluorescent and light emitting diode (LED) bulbs and fixtures. And thanks to my friends at State Farm Insurance I can share these tips with you.

At the national average power cost of $0.10 per kilowatt hour (kw/h) and based on an 8 hour daily usage this is how the lights compare over a one year period. We of course; in the Anchorage area pay closer to $0.15 per kw/h, half again the national average. And if you consider what is paid for electricity in the bush; we are getting a bargain.

A traditional 100 watt light bulb are cheap to produce and market, at $0.89, and will use 100 watts per hour to provide 1750 lumens of light (brightness) over its average 1,000 hours of service, before it burns out. The annual cost to operate that bulb is approximately $28.80 and over a 5 year period the bulb will need to be replaced about 44 times. The bulbs are inexpensive but the energy consumed and need for replacement far outweighs the value of a cheap bulb.

A more efficient halogen bulb which costs $5.89 burns 72 watts per hour and provides 1490 lumens over its average life of 1,000 hours. The annual cost to operate is approximately $20.72 and over the same 5 year period and will need replacement the same 44 times. The bulbs are far more expensive and do use less power but the replacement rate is the same.

A compact fluorescent bulb is cheaper than the halogen at $3.49, burns only 27 watts per power and provides 1750 lumens over its average life of 10,000 hours. The annual cost to operate is approximately $7.36 and over the same 5 year period will only need to be replaced 4 times. These bulbs are very affordable and last a very long time and are available everywhere.

The newer LED lights are very expensive at $47.99, burns only 9 watts per hour and provides 650 lumens over its average life of 50,000 hours. The annual cost to operate is only $2.60 and over the same 5 year period will need replacement only 1 time. Although very expensive they are very affordable to operate and have the longest life but are not as easy to locate.

The federal government is in the process of eliminating the standard incandescent bulb, which will make them obsolete in the near future. The halogen lights create a tremendous amount of heat as they operate, so they can be hazard if not properly installed with proper clearances. Compact fluorescents typically have a small amount of mercury inside to make them operate which creates a disposal and contamination problem. Newer CFL’s will be labeled whether or not they contain mercury. The LED’s are currently somewhat difficult to find for all the light fixtures in use, certainly are more expensive, but with a greater demand should become more available.