AP&T and Sealaska Team Up to Promote Clean Energy in Rural Southeast Communities

Sealaska and Alaska Power & Telephone (AP&T) have teamed up to offer AP&T customers on Prince of Wales Island and in Haines, Skagway and Gustavus a significant incentive to upgrade their home heating to a more sustainable, less expensive alternative.

Sealaska is expanding on an existing offer from AP&T that provides a $500 incentive to any customer who switches to a heat pump for home heating versus home heating oil or diesel. Sealaska shareholder households in the impacted communities are also eligible for an additional $500 from Sealaska, making the total incentive for shareholders $1,000 between the two programs.

“We are proud to be able to extend this opportunity to shareholders on Prince of Wales and in a handful of other Southeast communities,” said Sealaska President and CEO Anthony Mallott. “Our commitment to ocean health is first and foremost about ensuring our shareholders and descendants have access to clean air, water and land, and the traditional foods that come from them. We are pursuing that globally and right here at home.”

Heat pumps are significantly more energy efficient than carbon-based heat sources. Heat pumps work by transferring heat energy from the air outside the home (even in cold temperatures) into the home. A typical heat-pump system includes an outdoor unit that looks a lot like an air conditioner, and an indoor air-handling unit, which moves hot air across the coils and fans to evenly warm the home.

“AP&T is very thankful to partner with Sealaska Corporation to empower southeast Alaskans to make efficient use of locally-available hydropower through heat pumps,” said Jason Custer, vice president of business development for AP&T. “The benefits are tremendous: household energy cost-savings, elimination of emissions, improved indoor air quality, and no more worrying about fuel theft or spills.”

With the addition of Haida Corp.’s Híilangay hydroelectric project on Prince of Wales Island in the last year, customers who take advantage of the $1,000 incentive from AP&T and Sealaska can switch to 100% renewable energy and make a substantial impact on the amount of diesel and home heating oil being burned on the island. Between January and November of 2021, the Híilangay project displaced more than 110,000 gallons of diesel.

To learn more and apply, click here. AP&T’s website also has a list of local contractors who can install heat pumps and a video recording of a webinar explaining the program.