The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. If this legislation passes the Senate, it will incentivize home energy retrofits and will directly address the need for jobs by increasing employment in construction and related sectors.
Home Star will restart the assembly lines at factories that manufacture technologies in energy-efficiency and will put construction workers back on the job installing these improvements in the homes of millions of American families.
What is Home Star?
Home Star is designed to spur home energy retrofits by providing rebates to homeowners who install energy-saving products, such as insulation, windows, doors and heating systems. Home Star includes two tracks to provide long- and short-term benefits.
The Silver Star program will provide up-front rebates for the installation of specific energy-saving technologies, including insulation, duct sealing, windows and doors, air sealing, and water heaters. Homeowners will be able to receive up to $3,000 in rebates under Silver Star.
The Gold Star program rewards homeowners who conduct a comprehensive energy audit and implement a full spectrum of measures to reduce energy use throughout the home. Consumers will receive $3,000, or half the cost, for measures that reduce energy use by 20%. They can receive up to $8,000 when additional energy savings are achieved.
Home Star also creates an innovative financing program to ensure that energy efficiency investments continue even after the program's conclusion.
How Much Does Home Star Cost?
Home Star is authorized at $6 billion. However, H.R. 5019 will not include any appropriated funds during floor consideration. The Congressional Budget Office has said, "Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 5019 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)."
Why Home Star?
Home Star is expected to allow 3 million families to retrofit their homes to become more energy efficient. Consumers are predicted to save $9.2 billion on their energy bills over the next 10 years as a result of Home Star's energy efficiency investments. And, Home Star will create 168,000 new green jobs here in the United States. Construction jobs cannot be outsourced and more than 90% of energy efficiency technologies are manufactured here in America.
Who Supports Home Star?
H.R. 5019 was reported out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in a bipartisan vote of 30 to 17. The legislation has the endorsement of a broad range of business, labor, environmental and consumer groups including the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Home Builders, and the Home Star Coalition, which includes more than 1,000 business and other organizations.
References
The Committee on Energy and Commerce, The White House Blog
