‘A TimberPro on Every 40’
Hiawatha Log Homes saves energy and customers benefit
Joe Esbrook’s log home was built by his dad the year Joe was born.
So no, he doesn’t own a Hiawatha Log Home, but as CEO of the company, based near Munising in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he really wants to make sure everyone who wants to, can.
“Henry Ford wanted to put a Ford in every garage. I like that,” said Esbrook. He wants to put a log home on “every 40.”
To that end, the company is launching a new product line, TimberPro, a modular home kit with only four pieces that doesn’t require a professional contractor. “We’ll be able to help more people realize their dream of building a log home. The three of us and a case of Two Hearted and we could put this together on a weekend. Just circumvented the builder and saved a ton of money,” he said.
Still, turning trees into logs and then into homes can be expensive. “We’re one of the only log home companies in the nation that actually dries their logs,” Esbrook said. “The power bill is crazy.”
Hiawatha Log Homes kiln-dries its logs in “big buildings like airplane hangars.” They burn their own chips, make steam, get the radiator hot, and use fans to blow the hot air through the airplane hangar. The process takes 26 to 31 days.
And the fan speeds need to vary: “At the beginning, the fans have to go slow as the logs heat up,” Esbrook said. “Then they have to go faster to get the steam out of the building.” Until now, the fans at Hiawatha “go from zero to a million in a second, lots of commotion, then run at full speed.”
Introducing “The Magic Box,” as Esbrook calls it.
Computerized Variable Frequency Drives distribute just enough electricity to get the fans going at the speed needed, when it’s needed.
“We should save over $2,000 a month,” Esbrook said.
Esbrook knew he needed the VFDs, but they’re expensive – about $10,000 each and Hiawatha Log Home uses two. Happily, a no-interest loan from Northern Initiatives, through a partnership with the Upper Peninsula Power Co., is making the purchase easier.
“UPPCO has generously offered to pay the interest on any loan one of their customers gets for energy improvements,” said Elissa Sangalli, President of Northern Initiatives. “We’re thrilled to be able to help Upper Peninsula businesses become more energy efficient, more sustainable.”
“These VFDs are a godsend to us and the more money we save, the more reinvestment we can do,” Esbrook said. But still he was puzzled. “Why is UPPCO coming to me to reduce my bill?”
Besides being a utility that cares about the planet, UPPCO is also a regulated utility, said Katie Kern, Energy Efficiency Program Manager. “We’re required to have an energy efficiency program, but more than that, we want to free up space on the grid. So many things are using less electricity, but we’re adding things that use more, like electric cars. We want our power grid to support the new things.”
Hiawatha Log Homes’ new 5,000-square-foot building has energy-efficient LED lighting and other energy improvements are on the way. “We have a lot of big motors,” Esbrook said. “Once we get (the VFDs) installed, we’ll grab Billy Electric [and ask] where else can we do something? And he’ll say, get a whatchamacallit over here.”
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