Low income housing energy efficiency improvement program for the Yurok tribe of Northern California

Author

Keivan Branson, Humboldt State UniversityFollow

Graduation Date

Summer 2018

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Master of Science degree with a major in Environmental Systems, option Energy, Technology, and Policy

Committee Chair Name

Dr. Peter Alstone

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Dr. Arne Jacobson

Second Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Third Committee Member Name

Dr. Steven Hackett

Third Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Yurok, Tribe, Energy, Technology, Policy, Housing, Wood, Reservation

Subject Categories

Environmental Systems

Abstract

Housing on the Yurok reservation in California is a major concern for the local Tribal Government. This report details a study of the energy situation for housing of the Yurok Tribe to provide a framework for implementing housing energy efficiency to benefit low-income members of the Tribal community residing in substandard housing. The report briefly details the history of the reservation as it pertains to the current housing situation, as well as the authors personal context of living for 16 years in the reservation town of Klamath, CA. The analysis draws on information obtained from mixed methods, including information collected from the Yurok Tribal Government, members of the reservation communities of Klamath, CA and Weitchpec, CA, and energy simulations for homes located on the Reservation. Replacement of woodstoves, air sealing of the home and installing improved insulation are considered as the most likely housing retrofits that could potentially see quality of life benefits for the Tribal members served. The intervention with the most financial benefit for the Tribal members and the least costly for the Tribal government was the implementation of a program to install improved woodstoves in Tribal homes and improve wood storage for people without adequate means to keep it dry. Due to the prevalence of wood fuel for heating on the Reservation, this intervention could lead to financial benefits for tribal members exceeding $1,000 per household in resources annually with investments that are on the order of $3000-$4000 per project for the tribe. These improvements can also be looked at from a cultural perspective, as they attempt to address housing issues in a manner that prioritizes wood heating, which will allow the local population to continue using the heating fuels that they have used traditionally. The broader findings of this work indicate that there is potential for the Yurok Tribe to implement housing energy efficiency interventions for Tribal members that could bring significant social and economic benefits to the Tribe as a whole.

Citation Style

MLA

Recommended Citation

Branson, Keivan, "Low income housing energy efficiency improvement program for the Yurok tribe of Northern California" (2018). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 202.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/202