Energy-Saving, Rebate-Paying Home Star Proposal Moves Forward in House
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, shown here in June of 2009, carried the Home Star program over its first legislative hurdle on Thursday. (image: scienceprogress.org)
The Home Star initiative, widely known as “cash for caulkers,” which was first considered by President Obama in November of last year, received its first legislative boost from the House of Representatives on Thursday. The Burlington Free Press reported that the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a bipartisan vote of 30 to 17. The bipartisan vote from the committee (28 Democrats and two Republicans voted to approve the measure) led some legislators to optimistically hope for swift passage of the bill by both houses of Congress in the near future.
The Home Star program would provide generous and immediate rebates to homeowners who invest in energy-conserving improvements to their homes such as installing better-insulating windows and buying more energy-efficient appliances. Supporters of the bill cite three-fold benefits of the two-year Home Star plan: the creation of 168,000 jobs for contractors to perform upgrades, savings on energy bills for consumers that would add up to nearly $10 billion over the next decade, and a vast reduction in nationwide energy consumption that would help cut down greenhouse gas emissions. The plan, which carries an estimated cost of $6 billion, would offer rebates of up to $3,000 per household for efficiency improvements, as announced in early March.
If passed, Home Star would provide a valuable new incentive for all Americans to invest in making their homes more energy efficient, particularly because the rebates would be paid out immediately, with the federal government reimbursing retailers and contractors at a later time. As HeatingOil.com has reported on many occasions (most recently, last Monday), improving home energy efficiency is the easiest and most cost-effective way for heating oil users to save money on their heating oil and electricity bills. According to one estimate published by Massachusetts RealEstateRama, “In 2011 alone…[Home Star will save] an amount of natural gas and home heating oil that is the equivalent of 6.8 million barrels of heating oil.”
Following up previous statements of support for a federal energy-saving program aimed at American homeowners, President Obama applauded the committee’s passage of the bill on Thursday, as reported by UPI:
“Today’s bipartisan committee vote is an important step forward in our effort to create jobs, save consumers money and increase energy efficiency,” Obama said in a statement released by the White House. “In my State of the Union address and in the months since, I have called on Congress to pass a program of incentives to homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient. The Home Star legislation approved today would do just that—providing consumers with up-front rebates on investments in things like insulation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and windows that have been proven to save energy.”
The Home Star bill will next move on to the House floor for a vote by the full chamber, followed by a Senate vote. Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), the bill’s sponsor, predicted widespread support for the measure that would lead to its implementation in just a few short months, as reported by ecohomemagazine.com on Thursday: “In the next couple months, I believe Home Star will go from an unheralded, small-budget program to become the summer blockbuster our economy needs.” Markey’s view could be considered overly optimistic, as his sponsorship of the bill makes him heavily invested in its success. However, the clear economic and environmental benefits of the Home Star program could prevent it from being bogged down in partisan battles and put it on the fast track to approval that Markey envisions.
For additional information on the Home Star proposal, visit efficiencyfirst.org.
This post was updated on Tuesday, April 20. Thanks to reader Kevin McCarthy for directing us to the sources of this update.
