2010- Homestar Program - Up to $8000 in Rebates

Cash for Caulkers Bill – Home Star Bill Passes

May 7, 2010

Republicans overwhelmingly opposed the Cash for Caulkers bill. But the new economic stimulus bill has passed the House Thursday, 246-161. The Cash for Caulkers will give rebates for renovating homes with better insulation and energy-saving windows and doors.

The Home Star bill has come to be dubbed Cash for Caulkers, a takeoff on the popular 2009 Cash for Clunkers initiative that rewarded people for replacing gas-guzzling vehicles with more fuel-efficient models.

Supporters estimate that 3 million households would make use of the new program, saving $9.2 billion in energy costs over a 10-year period. They said it would create 168,000 jobs, mainly in the recession-hit construction industry.

How the Homestar Rebate works:

Here are some basics of the proposed Home Star legislation to provide rebates to homeowners for energy-efficient improvements. There are two types of consumer initiatives for retrofitting homes with energy-efficient models:

• Under the Silver Star program, homeowners would get rebates of between $1,000 and $1,500 for each improvement installed, or $250 an appliance, with a benefit not exceeding $3,000 or 50 percent of total project costs. Covered measures in the Silver Star program include air sealing; attic, wall and crawl-space insulation; duct sealing; replacement of windows and doors, furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters, and appliances.

• Under the Gold Star program, consumers would be eligible for $3,000 when they conduct whole-house energy analyses and install technology that improves their overall home-energy efficiency by 20 percent. They could receive an additional $1,000 rebate for each additional 5 percent improvement, to a maximum of $8,000. The rebate could not represent more than 50 percent of the total cost of the

Stay abreast of this outstanding development in the months ahead in early 2010.