MORE FREE ALASKAN MONEY!

Now that I've got your attention, let's remember nothing but joy and love are truly free (and sometimes even those come with a price). Our state has money because we hand over big chunks of land to oil companies which in turn charge outrageous amounts for their products. Have you noticed that gas prices in Anchorage are almost a dollar higher than the national average?

But back to the free money. Astute readers will note I've made a happy correction to yesterday's post. On closer review, I realized that in AHFC's Energy Rebate program, moving from a three star plus to a four star plus is actually a two-step move, equating to a potential $5500 rebate.

Here's how it broke down for us. We could move one step, from three star plus to four star, by caulking and sealing (few materials, labor-intensive) and replacing the garage doors. We could get up to $4000 in rebates just for that work, though I doubt we'd rack up that much in costs.

We can get three more points, bumping us into the $5500 rebate, by adding attic insulation (.7 points), replacing the water heater with an on-demand unit (.8 points), replacing one metal door with an insulated fiberglass door (.2 points), and the big ticket item: replace the existing furnace with one that's 91% efficient, for a gain of 1.3 points.

The points may differ for individual homes, but you get the idea. The energy report is comprehensive, weighing the relative value of energy improvements against their costs and their contribution to the overall energy effectiveness of the home. Only the first two items, sealing and caulking plus garage doors, were deemed cost-effective in terms of energy savings. But we'll likely do them all, because every little bit helps, and free money is, after all, free money.