CONGRESSMEN BOUCHER AND PERRIELLO PRAISE HOUSE PASSAGE OF ENERGY BILL THAT WOULD CREATE JOBS IN MARTINSVILLE

Congressmen Fought for Amendment to Include Window Film to Spur Growth of Company in Martinsville

            (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representatives Rick Boucher and Tom Perriello today applauded bipartisan House passage of H.R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, which would benefit a window film manufacturer in Martinsville, Va., because of an amendment the two congressmen fought to include in the legislation.

            “Energy saving window films, like those manufactured at Solutia in Henry County, can provide homeowners with substantial savings on energy costs when applied to existing windows. The measure approved by the House today will encourage homeowners to make use of such energy saving retrofits, by providing rebates for the purchase and installation of energy saving measures in their homes. The measure not only helps families reduce home energy costs but also will create jobs in Henry County,” Boucher said.

            “This is another victory for making Southside the clean energy capitol of the country. This program boosts business and jobs in Martinsville and Henry County, helps families across the country save on their energy bills, and increases home values,” said Perriello.

            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.

            Reps. Boucher and Perriello successfully fought to include window film as a qualified energy efficiency product covered under the program. If funded, the program would boost window film manufacturers, such as Solutia based in Henry County.

            “We are grateful to Congressmen Boucher and Perriello for their support of the Home Star bill, which recognizes the affordable energy-savings benefits of window film.   I believe the Home Star program will be a win for Martinsville because it includes window film incentives that will create jobs, reduce energy consumption, and increase demand for the high-performance films produced locally by Solutia – the world's largest window film manufacturer. With Reps. Boucher and Perriello's hard work and leadership, the need for affordable energy-conserving measures was recognized, helping make Home Star a more practical program that is more likely to create jobs for small businesses throughout the country,” said Joe Stultz, Plant Manager for Solutia in Martinsville. 

Background Information on Home Star

Home Star is designed to spur home energy retrofits by providing rebates to homeowners who install energy-saving products, such as insulation, widows, window films, 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, window films, 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.

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.

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, and the National Association of Home Builders.         

###