Cold Climate Housing Research Center

09/08/2026

Interested in building your own house? Check out our info session for our Cold Climate Housing Owner-Builder Masterclass.

Join us for an info session on Tuesday, September 15th at 6 PM at Black Spruce Brewing Company (3290 Peger Rd. STE B Fairbanks, AK 99709).

The Cold Climate Owner-Builder Masterclass is made specifically for those who want to build their own home. For seven Saturdays this fall, you will learn everything there is to know about building your own house from expert local builders. Throughout the class you will create a budget for your own project, learn about energy efficiency and healthy home construction, meet local homebuilding professionals, and walk through selecting a contractor to signing the final closing documents.

Want to learn more? Click here to visit our event website: https://cchrc.org/event/cold-climate-owner-builder-masterclass/

We look forward to seeing you at Black Spruce!

09/03/2026

CCHRC's Fall Classes are back! Join us midday on Tuesdays in September and October to learn about anything from weatherization to heat pumps to electrification to wood harvesting. These classes are FREE and VIRTUAL.

Click here to check out the classes and register: https://cchrc.org/events/

Thank you to Golden Valley Electric Assn. (GVEA) for their generous support of these classes. They ensure that the classes can remain free and continue each year.

Programs, Classes, and Special Events

08/21/2026

This fall, the Building Performance Association is hosting its first-ever regional conference in Alaska, October 29–30 in Anchorage, in partnership with Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. It's a great chance to bring contractors, housing organizations, utilities, tribal partners, and funders into the same room, with education built specifically for our climate and housing stock.

We're proud to be presenting at this year's conference, sharing what we've learned building and researching homes that can stand up to Alaska's various climates. From cold-climate building science and heat pumps to workforce development and funding updates, the full agenda covers the issues shaping home performance across the state.

Take a look at the agenda and register today: https://building-performance.org/events/regional/alaska/

The agenda for the Alaska Home Performance Conference and Trade Show is here!

Explore the five tracks and join us in Anchorage this Oct. 29-30.

🗻 Programs & Partnerships
🏠 Cold Climate Building Science
👷 Workforce Development & Finance and Funding Updates
🔨 Contractor Business Tool Box
🌡️ Heat Pumps, HVAC & Future-Proofing Strategies

From building science and heat pumps to workforce development, contractor business strategies, and funding updates, the agenda covers the issues shaping Alaska’s home performance industry.

See the full agenda and register today at https://building-performance.org/events/regional/alaska/

08/13/2026

Our partners at Housing Alaskans have opened a new grant opportunity for capital funding, and we're pleased to help share the details with the community. These grants support new construction and major rehabilitation housing projects in the Mat-Su Borough, with funding designed to move quickly for projects breaking ground or reaching completion in 2026–2027.

Applications are due August 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. If you have a qualifying project underway, we encourage you to apply soon.

Learn more and submit your application through the Housing Alaskans website: https://housingalaskans.com/

Housing Alaskans is a grantee of ours who has recently opened a grant opportunity for capital funding for new construction and major rehabilitation housing projects in the Mat-Su Borough. The grants are intended to give funding quickly for housing projects that will begin construction or be completed in 2026-2027. The application deadline is August 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. For more information, please click the link in the comments or visit the Housing Alaskans website!

08/07/2026

Job Alert! Our partners at Golden Valley Electric Assn. (GVEA) are hiring an Energy Management Specialist in Fairbanks.

GVEA is hiring an Energy Management Specialist to help Interior members understand their energy use and tap into programs like heat pumps, EV charging, net metering, and community solar. This role is a great option for anyone looking to make an impact on energy use across Interior Alaska.

Apply today here:

Join Golden Valley Electric Association as an Energy Management Specialist in Fairbanks, Alaska, and help members make informed decisions about energy use, efficiency, and emerging technologies. In this role, you will support residential and commercial members through energy usage analysis, efficien...

07/22/2026

Thawing permafrost is reshaping homes across the Alaska. CCHRC staff and contractors were on-site last month helping a homeowner in the Fairbanks area understand what's happening around their foundation and what can be done about it as permafrost thaws and the ground opens up.

Reporter Barbara Moran from WBUR 90.9 FM in Boston accompanied us and will be publishing a story on the challenges that permafrost presents for homes and homeowners. We look forward to hearing the story and can't wait to share it!

07/06/2026

CCHRC is happy to be working with Housing Alaskans Public Private Partnership (HAPPP) on their Arctic Energy Seed Awards! Awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy Arctic Energy Office, Arctic Energy Seed Awards support innovative energy projects that will help strengthen energy security, improve reliability, and lower costs for communities across Alaska.

Check out more about Arctic Energy Seed Awards here:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Arctic Energy Office is proud to announce the recipients of the Arctic Energy Seed Awards (PPO-CWX-022-AE)

06/11/2026

Check out this upcoming in-person event in Anchorage to learn about heat pumps from the UAA/LG Advanced Cold Climate Heat Pump Lab!

If you can't make it, feel free to look at our literature and webinars on heat pumps. You can find the literature on our website at cchrc.org and the most recent webinar here: https://youtu.be/Yo_AOL7_xVg?si=BxXVE3YJkAd5u9qV

What's a heat pump? Learn about cold climate heat pumps at the UAA/LG Advanced Cold Climate Heat Pump Lab open house on June 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chugach will be there to provide information about our heat pump incentive program: https://www.chugachelectric.com/heatpump

06/08/2026

We're excited to introduce Paul Rasmussen as CCHRC's new Executive Director!

Starting on Monday, June 15, Paul brings a deep commitment to tackling Alaska's unique housing challenges, and we can't wait to see what we'll accomplish together. Welcome, Paul!

Check out our press release for more information: https://cchrc.org/paul-rasmussen-named-next-executive-director-ofcold-climate-housing-research-center/

05/29/2026

77 new homes across 13 communities! Awesome news from Housing Alaskans who just announced $1.5M in grants for shovel-ready developments that had stalled for lack of final "top-off" capital. For teachers, seniors, workforce families, and storm-impacted communities, these grants provide the necessary funding to see their projects to fruition.

🏠 Big news! Housing Alaskans is funding 77 new homes across 13 Alaska communities. And for the first time, one of the projects supported by Housing Alaskans is in Anchorage! It's Airport Heights Senior Housing.

Alaskans from Chevak to Sitka will benefit. Teachers. Seniors. Workforce families.

Storm-impacted villages.

$1.5M in gap funding → leverages $60M+ → stalled projects move forward.

Alaska needs shovels in the ground. This is how you do it.

Pictured: Anchorage from the air in September 2025.