In Perspective - Home Star

Harry Applin

Converting our existing homes into energy-smart homes has the potential to reduce our home energy consumption by at least 25 percent. If we look at last year's energy prices in comparison to this year's prices, they went up at least 10%. If that trend continues, the minimum of 25 percent will actually be higher. Future cost savings can be leveraged to pay for near-term efficiency improvements and the relatively modest investment can have a large future payback.

A recent poll by the Conservation Services Group shows that what motivates people to increase your home's energy efficiency is decreasing the monthly utility bill &/or equipment costs is the most important reason to make these improvements and the reason for not doing it was the long term return on investment. That is why the Recovery Act set aside $5 billion to help Americans offset the cost and quicken the return on investment while reducing our demand for foreign oil.

In a report to the Republican Leader (http: //www.gao.gov/new.items/d10383.pdf), "As of 31 December 2009, according to data available to the Department of Energy, about 9,100 homes had been weatherized out of a planned 593,000." The question then has to be, why the slow response? If a $2,000 a year heating bill can be reduced to a cost of at least $1,500 why would there be such reluctance.

The program saves money for the home owner, uses locally produced products, puts Americans to work, boosts the economy, raises the value of homes, makes the homes more comfortable and reduces America's dependence on foreign oil. What is the problem? It will put money back into the pockets of Americans at a much higher rate then investing in Wall Street or Lotteries. People were outraged about fuel prices over the 2007-2008 winter when the prices were 20% higher than they are now and are on a pace to hit that mark for next year. I hear a knocking on the door.

There is a job's bill that was introduced that includes an option called Home Star. Home Star would cut 50 percent off the cost of investing in state-of-the-art energy efficiency products and services. Local construction jobs will be created as small contractors and major construction firms enter the market to install these new building systems. Of the 10 million unemployed, almost two million of those work in the construction field. So a program that includes insulation and air sealing can drive huge demand for skilled labor and building materials. Insulation for example, which is fairly inexpensive, is almost entirely made in America, with companies such as Owens Corning employing workers in good jobs at manufacturing plants spread out from upstate New York to South Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Oregon, and Arizona.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/12/bracken_homestar_video.html

http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/static/files/HOME_STAR_summary.pdf

http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/take-action/