More than 90 percent of households in Bethel use heating oil to keep warm, according to census data. But a lot of people supplement with wood, even though there are no trees on the tundra. And then there's Jeff Sanders, who exclusively heats his 3,000 square foot home in Bethel with wood he scavenges around town. Sanders says that he hasn't used heating fuel since 1974.
The Cost of Cold is a series from Alaska’s Energy Desk about how Alaskans around the state heat their homes. Reporter Christine Trudeau produced this story from Bethel.