ACRF Supporter Spotlight: Hansen Gress

Modern waterfront building with blue and gray exterior, situated on stilts above the water, surrounded by trees and residential homes on a hillside.
Hansen Gress ‘Harbor Lights’ Office Building

The Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund (ACRF) is excited to continue our ‘Supporter Spotlight’ series by introducing you to Hansen Gress, a Juneau-based Managed IT Services firm that proves “Trust your tech” can also mean trusting in a cleaner future. While their business focuses on keeping local infrastructure running smoothly, their commitment to the environment is baked into the very foundation of the company.

Sustainability in the DNA

For Hansen Gress, environmental stewardship isn’t a recent trend; it’s part of their DNA. Over a decade ago, the company’s forward-thinking approach was featured as a case study in “The Green Gazelle,” a Leeds Beckett University doctoral research project. The study highlighted Hansen Gress as an example of a company that prioritizes measurable stewardship even while scaling its operations. Today, that philosophy continues to guide their culture. “Success isn’t just about what you accomplish, but the positive impact you create along the way,” is a core principle for the team.

Leading by Example: The Harbor Lights Building Remodel

Hansen Gress walks the talk when it comes to infrastructure. The company recently completed a massive, three-year full remodel of their 1960s-era building overlooking Harris Harbor. This wasn’t just a face-lift; it was a total energy transformation:

  • Decarbonization: They removed all petroleum-based heating systems.
  • Electrification: They installed high-efficiency air source heat pumps and modern infrared heating.
  • Efficiency: The team added modern windows, updated insulation, and installed LED lighting throughout the facility to slash energy demand.
Illustration of an air source heat pump system, featuring an outdoor unit, indoor unit, radiator, and components for hot water and underfloor heating within a stylized house.
Getty Images

Driving the Change

The company is also a leader in the transition to electric transportation. Hansen Gress maintains 3 EVs for staff use and their total fleet logs an impressive 120,000 EV miles annually. To help their team make the switch at home, they offer a $2,000 credit for personal EV purchases and provide free charging at the office.

Thinking Locally, Acting Locally

Hansen Gress has a long track record of carbon responsibility, having offset over 550mT in recent years. For 2025, they reached a major milestone by shifting their strategy to support local projects. By purchasing 98 tons of carbon reduction specifically through the Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund, Hansen Gress ensures their environmental investment stays right here in Southeast Alaska. This 98-ton offset covers the entirety of their carbon footprint—including building operations, company electric vehicle use, employee household offsets, and inventory shipping—rendering the company carbon negative for the year.

“Hansen Gress EV cars in Juneau run on clean hydro,” the company notes, highlighting the synergy between local energy and global responsibility.

A Legacy of Stewardship

The company’s impact is visible in other ways, too. Over the last 20 years, they have diverted an estimated 100,000 pounds of e-waste from the landfill. By managing the technology lifecycle and extending the use of hardware, they keep heavy metals and plastics out of our local environment. ACRF is incredibly grateful for Hansen Gress’s partnership. Their support is a direct catalyst for our primary goal: lowering heating costs and increasing the use of clean energy in Southeast Alaska’s lower-income homes.

A collage of various organizational logos including Allen Marine Tours, Kensington Mine, Carnival, Chichagof Conservation Council, and others, representing different companies and foundations.

High Heat Pump Price Tag? AHS Assistance is Here!

A man standing next to a daikin heat pump, giving a thumbs up and holding an Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund sign.

Do you live in southern coastal Alaska? Have you been dreaming of cutting your heating bills  with a heat pump? If so, keep reading to learn about two programs that can help you finance heat pump equipment and cover installation costs. 

In order to encourage residential heat pump adoption, Alaska Heat Smart (AHS) and Southeast Conference (SEC) are offering the Accelerating Clean Energy Savings (ACES) heat pump incentive program. ACES, a 5-year, $39M program, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, is available to homeowners and renters in coastal communities from Metlakatla to Kodiak. ACES has a goal of installing 6,000 heat pumps, has no income cap, and offers reimbursement incentives of $4,000, $6,000, and $8,500 to qualifying fossil fuel or wood-heated homes. ACES has facilitated 64 heat pump installations to date with many more in progress! You can learn more about the ACES program here and find a list of eligible communities here.

In order to further support residential heat pump installation, AHS and SEC have partnered with True North Federal Credit Union (TNFCU) to offer low interest heat pump loans to homeowners and renters located within the ACES program region. Applicants can qualify for a loan up to $20,000 with interest rates as low as 4%. In a nutshell, the interest paid on this loan will likely be less than the heating bill savings realized by utilizing the loan for the purchase and installation of a heat pump. This unique loan program can help homeowners begin saving money as soon as their heat pump has been installed! 

One of the requirements for both the ACES program and the TNFCU heat pump loan is a ‘Home Energy Assessment’ from AHS. The AHS Home Energy Assessment Program offers in-person and virtual assessments to provide informative home energy consultations  for a deeper understanding of a home and its energy needs. After an assessment is complete, homeowners are provided with a detailed report that outlines options about which heat pump will work best, estimated installation costs, estimated annual savings, as well as answers to other energy questions. 

The combination of these two programs can help make the upfront costs of heat pump installations less daunting, allowing you to quickly see significant annual heating cost savings. Cut your energy costs and help us reach our goal of 6,000 heat pump installations in coastal Alaskan communities by applying to the ACES program today! 

Logos of Alaska Heat Smart, Southeast Conference, and True North Federal Credit Union displayed together.

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement #84101201 to Southeast Conference (SEC). The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.

A Look Inside Taay Hít, the Greenhouse with a Heat Pump

A geodesic dome greenhouse, known as Taay Hít, surrounded by raised garden beds planted with various vegetables, with clear skies and a nearby building.

Photo by Amy Erfling, Tlingit & Haida Regional Greenhouse Coordinator

We usually think of heat pumps for residential and commercial heating, but using them in creative ways opens up previously unimaginable opportunities. If you’ve ever tried to grow a lush garden in Southeast Alaska, you know it comes with many difficulties, but could a heat pump in a greenhouse provide a unique solution? 

In 2020, Tlingit & Haida reached out to Alaska Heat Smart (AHS) about heating Taay Hít (‘garden house’ in Tlingit), a 42’ geodesic dome greenhouse they had constructed in Juneau. Taay Hít was purchased and constructed with grants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Native American Agriculture Fund for Tribal food security and food sovereignty as a climate change adaptation strategy. After talking with AHS, Tlingit & Haida decided to install a two head heat pump in Taay Hít, with the goal of growing crops year-round. 

We recently reached out to Amy Erfling, Tlingit & Haida Regional Greenhouse Coordinator, to inquire about Taay Hít and how the heat pump has been working — the results were amazing! Taay Hít has been producing food for the past two years. Crops are being grown year-round in soil beds, using LED lighting over the beds in the dark winter months. 

During the warm season, crops like tomato, tomatillo, pepper, cucumber, squash, and eggplant have been grown. During the cold season, they grow things like spinach, lettuce, asian greens, turnips, and radishes. There are also year-round crops including perennials, herbs, fig trees, dwarf lemon and lime trees, and grape vines. They have even introduced ladybugs and praying mantis to keep the bugs down. Each year, Tlingit & Haida are trying out new crops to see what all is possible in the heated dome! 

During the winter months, the heat pumps are set at 50 degrees since the cool season crops are able to grow in colder temperatures. During the recent cold snap in Juneau, the temperature inside Taay Hít was in the 30-40 degree range. This was warm enough for the cool season crops to stay alive, but they weren’t growing much during the cold snap. Without the heat pump, it wouldn’t be possible to grow crops throughout Juneau’s winter months. 

Taay Hít is just one example of how heat pumps can be used to create new opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible before. It is amazing to see heat pump technology being used to enable climate adaptation strategies, like food security and food sovereignty in Southeast Alaska.