Heat Meters Installed in Tanana for Trial Remote Deployment

ACEP engineering student, Alana Vilagi, installed two Pump Monitoring Aparatus (PuMA) heat meters in the first remote applications trial for the devices.

 Vilagi installed the two units, one in a private residence and one in a commercial building, where current heat use data can be collected prior to further installations in Tanana late September.

 Vilagi was joined by ACEP’s Amanda Byrd and Gwen Holdmann, and Jen Schmidt of the Instutitute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). During the visit, a community meeting was held introducing the heat meters and a future survey on wood and heating fuel use with respect to subsistence foods.

 The meeting yielded a very positive response to the heat meters especially with regards to their ability to provide accurate fuel use and heating efficiency data. Future installation sites will be selected based on the residential use of a Toyostove or Monitor home heating device as either a primiary or secondary heat source.

 The visit was part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation titled Adaptive coupling of human-environmental linkages in response to globally driven changes in subsistance in rural Alaska. 

Photo Credit:  Alana Vilagi with one of her installed heat meter units. Photo by Amanda Byrd/ACEP