H. R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010

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Thursday, 06 May 2010 07:47

Today, the House of Representatives will consider H.R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, legislation that will incentivize home energy retrofits and increase employment in the construction and related sectors.

Home Star is a short-term program to create jobs, save energy, and lower families' energy bills. Home Star will restart the assembly lines at factories that manufacture energy efficiency technologies 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 complement 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 percent, and can receive up to $8,000 when additional energy savings are achieved.

Home Star also creates an innovative financing program to be sure that energy efficiency investments continue 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 be 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 jobs here in the United States. Construction jobs cannot be outsourced and more than 90 percent 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.

See Letters of Support for H.R. 5019.