Welch’s Home Star bill gathers momentum ahead of Thursday vote PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 00:00

U.S. Chamber and National Association of Manufacturers call it 'key vote'
Obama administration releases statement of support

The day before the U.S. House votes on Rep. Peter Welch's (D-Vt.) Home Star Energy Retrofit Act (H.R. 5019), the job-creating legislation garnered new support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Obama administration.

Both the U.S. Chamber and NAM announced Wednesday that all votes related to the passage of Home Star would be considered in their annual legislative scorecards. Also on Wednesday, the Obama administration released a statement of support, "applaud[ing] the bipartisan efforts that have brought H.R. 5019 to the House floor."

More information:

Full Bill Text

What is Home Star?
How Much Does Home Star Cost?
Why Home Star?
Who Supports Home Star?

The announcements add to a list of more than 500,000 businesses and organizations that have rallied behind the legislation, which will create 170,000 jobs and help three million American families save money on their utility bills.

"This bipartisan bill has brought together business, labor, environmental and consumer groups to fight for new jobs and energy savings," said Welch, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. "Home Star is a practical, common sense way to spur job creation in construction, manufacturing and retail, while helping families save money on their utility bills."

Cosponsored by Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.), Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) and Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the bipartisan H.R. 5019 was supported by Republican Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) when it passed the Energy and Commerce Committee last month.

The bill has been endorsed by the following organizations:

  • United States Chamber of Commerce – Representing 300,000 businesses
  • National Association of Manufacturers – Representing 10,000 businesses and 12 million workers
  • National Association of Home Builders – Representing 175,000 home builders and remodelers
  • Home Star Coalition – Representing 1,300 business, labor, environmental, faith and consumer groups
  • National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association – Representing 6,000 retail businesses
  • Alliance to Save Energy – Representing 170 businesses, trade associations, public interest groups and research organizations
  • Efficiency First – Representing 1,000 energy performance businesses and contractors
  • Dow Chemical Company, Home Depot, Honeywell and Owens Corning

 

Home Star is a two-year program designed to spur home energy retrofits by providing direct incentives to homeowners to install American-made energy-saving products and conduct whole-home retrofits. Home Star includes two types of consumer incentives:

  • Silver Star – The prescriptive path provides in-store rebates for specific energy-saving investments, including insulation, duct sealing, windows and doors, air sealing and water heaters. Homeowners receive up to $1,500 per measure, with a rebate not exceeding $3,000 or 50 percent of the total project cost.
  • Gold Star – The performance path rewards homeowners who conduct a comprehensive energy audit and implement a variety of measures to reduce energy use. Consumers receive $3,000 for a demonstrated savings of 20 percent, plus an additional $1,000 for each additional 5 percent energy savings – capped at 50 percent of the project cost.

 

Introduced in the House in April, H.R. 5019 passed the Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 30 to 17 later that month. Home Star is based on Welch's Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program, which passed the House last summer as part of the Waxman/Markey energy bill.

 
Contact Congressman Welch Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter fp-button6Facebook YouTube Picasa