A DEHE engineer points at a water pipeline in Chenega Bay, Alaska.

DEHE improves the lives of Alaskans by bringing safe, clean water; modern health care facilities; and modern sanitation to some of the most remote places in the world.

DEHE mechanical engineering provides HVAC design services, design review, construction administration, and problem solving for remote facilities all over Alaska. Extreme climates and high energy costs call for state-of-the-art performance and reliability. Distance from urban centers demands simplicity of design. Energy conservation and alternative energy sources require innovation and creativity.

Controls Design: Lack of nearby controls contractors, and a need for control systems that can be maintained locally, require detailed controls designs using off-the-shelf, readily available components. The diagram on the right shows a waste heat recovery system that adds heat to village water mains.

Chalkyitsik heat recovery diagram

Dryer piping in Ruby, Alaska

Innovative Approaches: 

Electricity costs exceeding $0.60/KWH, combined with no natural gas availability, means new approaches to drying clothes. The system pictured below uses 200-degrees Fahrenheit water in modified steam dryers to achieve cost-effective performance.

Dryer pumps in Alatna, Alaska