Backup Generator Installation Protects Residents

At Alaska Housing, employees work behind the scenes to plan for the future and help ensure continued access to safe, quality, affordable housing for residents of public housing properties.

Recently, a project that had been in planning for more than three years came to fruition and two backup generators were installed at AHFC’s Chugach View and Chugach Manor properties in Anchorage. With the extra security of the new backup generators, residents of the two senior and disabled housing properties will maintain access to electricity in the event that the main power connection is lost.

“Thankfully, our properties didn’t lose power for too long during the 2018 earthquake, but that event did contribute to prioritizing this project,” said AHFC's Construction Coordinator Lead, Mike, who spearheaded the installation.

“In the end this is a preventative measure, but it is important to be proactive to protect our residents.”

Each 175 kilowatts generator has a 310-gallon tank for diesel fuel, enough to supply electricity for an entire building for up to a week. In buildings with senior residents, this extra protection helps to ensure that medical devices and mobility aids will continue to function without interruption in the event of a prolonged power loss.

Overcoming Challenges

Slowed down due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the project faced supply chain challenges and delays from the start, with the original generator order placed in December 2022.

“We entered the design phase of this project just before the world shut down and you couldn’t get parts for anything,” Mike said. “The pandemic slowed this project down, but thankfully didn’t stop it.”

Six generators are already in place to support Alaska Housing-owned properties around the state, which can each provide electricity to residents for several hours. There are plans to add backup generators to other Alaska Housing-owned properties in the coming years, continuing to focus on properties that house seniors and people with disabilities.