Based on Welch's Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program, Home Star is a national retrofit initiative that will provide incentives to homeowners seeking to make their houses more energy efficient. Home Star is expected to create more than 160,000 jobs, retrofit three million houses and save American families $10 billion over ten years.

"By creating jobs, saving homeowners money and reducing carbon emissions, Home Star has tremendous, transformative potential to rebuild our economy and cut our nation's energy use," Welch said. "This bipartisan proposal will provide just the boost contractors, manufacturers and retailers need to create new jobs and revitalize the struggling construction sector. At the same time, Home Star will lay the groundwork for a clean energy economy that will pay dividends into the future."

Today's hearing brought together members of a broad, bipartisan coalition of Home Star supporters, each of whom thanked Welch for his leadership in pushing the legislation.

Witnesses included Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Cathy Zoi, Masco Home Services president Larry Laseter, National Association of Manufacturers president and CEO – and former Republican governor – John Engler, Owens Corning president and CEO Michael Thaman and Construction and Development Services vice president Christopher Pratt.

Welch is the author of the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program, upon which Home Star is based. REEP is a national energy efficiency retrofit initiative that provides incentives to homeowners and businesses to perform efficiency upgrades. REEP, which Welch originally introduced in March 2009 as a standalone bill (H.R. 1778) was passed by the House last summer as part of the Waxman-Markey energy bill (H.R. 2454).

Welch has worked closely with administration officials and congressional leaders in the months since to adapt REEP to take effect immediately and create even more jobs in the construction sector, which has an unemployment rate of 25 percent. President Obama singled out Welch's work on Home Star as he announced his support for the program at a Virginia Home Depot store in December.

Earlier this week, Welch toured a home in Williston, Vermont, to demonstrate Home Star's potential for creating jobs and saving homeowners money. Click here to read more about the event or here for pictures.

Click here to watch Welch's opening statement at today's hearing and click here to watch him ask questions of the witnesses.