Building Science Academy Blog

Efficiency First Chair Matt Golden makes the case for residential energy retrofit incentives
In a commentary published today on Forbes.com (the online presence of Forbes Magazine) Efficiency First Chair Matt Golden outlines the essential economic arguments in favor of using direct consumer incentives to spur growth in the home energy retrofit industry. Golden argues that with unemployment in the construction sector pushing 25 percent we have a historic opportunity to put that unused capacity to work making homes more efficient and reducing energy costs for American consumers.
Home Star is designed to stimulate private investment in home energy improvements and channel millions of dollars in new business to local contractors Golden writes. The work is hands-on, site-specific labor that cannot be outsourced overseas, and employs skills that any experienced construction worker or HVAC installer can acquire with minimal training. Furthermore the sheet metal insulation caulking and other materials used in home energy remodeling are overwhelmingly produced by American mills and factories another sector of our economy with tremendous underutilized capacity
Golden goes on to cite several examples of positive growth and investment in the Home Performance industry and he concludes by saying that HOME STAR will facilitate a hybrid solution in which the public and private sectors work together to support a prosperous free market for energy retrofitting services that deliver measurable and predictable energy savings and help our nations economy get back on track
Read the full text of Matt Goldens commentary here:www.forbes.com/2010/02/11/energy-efficient-homes-technology-ecotech-retrofits.html

Labels: energy efficiency, energy retrofit, home star

HOME STAR Talking Points

2/8/2010
What is HOME STAR?

• HOME STAR is proposed federal legislation that will create good living wage jobs in construction and related industries by providing strong short term incentives for home energy efficiency improvements.


• HOME STAR rewards homeowners for investing in insulation and weatherization, high efficiency heating and air conditioning equipment, replacement windows and other cost effective home improvements that can permanently reduce household energy bills.


• HOME STAR was originally proposed by a coalition of business leaders as a cost effective way to stimulate rapid job creation and jump start a sustainable market for home energy retrofits. This growing industry will provide good jobs for American workers long after the incentive program has been phased out.


• HOME STAR jobs cannot be outsourced, and materials used in these jobs are on average 90% or more domestically produced.


• HOME STAR is a market based solution that leverages private investment and consumer spending to stimulate the economy and help us achieve our national clean energy and climate goals.


• HOME STAR will jumpstart a new American industry that can be market based and sustainable. Good living wage jobs for American workers:


• HOME STAR is expected to create 168,000 high quality building jobs over the next two years.


• Overall unemployment fell to 9.7% in January, while construction sector unemployment climbed to 24.7% (from 18.7% in October 2009). That means one out of four American construction workers is unemployed, and the figure is even higher in some parts of the country.


• If we don't find ways to put these people back to work, continued unemployment in construction and related industries threatens to derail our economic recovery.


• Construction materials manufacturing is at 62% of its capacity.


• Home energy retrofitting is hands on, site specific work that cannot be outsourced overseas. The necessary skills can be learned quickly by any experienced construction worker. The workforce is out there, so let's put them to work!


• Stimulating consumer demand for home energy improvements also will create jobs in constructionrelated manufacturing and retail. The sheet metal, caulking, insulation products and other manufactured goods used in energy retrofits are overwhelmingly made by American mills and factories. Lower energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions:


• Household energy use accounts for more than one fifth of U.S. carbon emissions - roughly twice the emissions produced by passenger cars. Basic efficiency improvements can reduce energy waste and greenhouse gas emissions in most American homes by 20% to 40%.


• This is not new or experimental technology. Energy retrofits can generate considerable savings using proven techniques and materials - even without installing costly solar panels.


• Retrofitting is the most cost effective way to reduce household energy costs, and smart investments in energy efficiency will eventually pay for themselves through long term energy bill savings.

How the proposed HOME STAR incentives will work:

• The HOME STAR proposal calls for the creation of a national program to provide direct rebates to homeowners who invest in qualifying home energy efficiency improvements. At the request of the homeowner, rebate amounts can be deducted from overall job costs at the time of sale and paid directly to the contractor or product retailer after the retrofit work has been completed.


• The plan gives homeowners a choice of two types of incentives. The SILVER STAR incentive prioritizes easy and rapid deployment. The GOLD STAR incentive incentivizes deeper energy savings by offering higher rebate amounts for consumers who choose this path.


• SILVER STAR provides rebates for specific energy saving measures such as air sealing; attic, wall or crawl space insulation; duct sealing or replacement; and replacement of existing windows, doors, water heaters, household appliances or heating and air conditioning equipment. Rebate amounts are up to $1,500 per qualified installed measure, capped at 50 percent of project costs or $3,000 (whichever is less).


• The performance based GOLD STAR incentive is based on predicted energy savings as determined by a thorough energy audit performed before the work begins. Using proven building science methods, the auditor tests the home's energy performance, designs a customized retrofit plan in consultation wit the homeowner, and calculates the energy savings that will result from the recommended measures. Homeowners can receive $3,000 for modeled savings of 20%, plus $1,500 for each additional 5% of modeled energy savings, with incentives not to exceed 50% of total project costs.


• To prevent fraud and assure quality, HOME STAR requires appropriate licensing and certification for all participating contractors, and a percentage of all jobs will be inspected by a third party within 30 days of completion to verify proper installation.

What you can do to support HOME STAR:

• Call or write to the Senators from your state and your local Congressional Representative.


• Write a letter to your local newspaper.


• Find out more at www.efficiencyfirst.org/homestar.

Labels: energy efficiency, home star, weatherization

Bipartisan Support Needed for Efficiency Retrofit Programs Please visit
http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/take-action/

Labels: Energy Audit, energy efficiency, retrofit

The entire team here at Building Science Academy are very busy preparing the workforce in Michigan to meet the charge to reduce energy and create jobs. There is substantial progress here in Michigan to assist the contracting industry to make the transition from building new homes to retrofitting our existing housing stock. There is a substantial difference in the process of making an existing home more energy efficient vs building a new home to be energy efficient. The first step in determining what needs to be done with a home is to perform an energy audit on the home. Many things can be learned from a audit, how much air infiltration does the home have, does it meet the BAS(building air flow standards) for the size of the home, what are the insulation levels of that home, what is the current condition of the mechanical systems of that home and is it cost effective to replace them, what are the health and safety issues with the home, when the home is put under worst case depressurization(exhaust fans running, cloths dryer on, furnace running) do these things cause a negative pressure in the home to be enough to back draft the combustion appliances(ie water heater) and pull carbon monoxide into the living space causing a dangerous condition. We must look at the entire home as a system and learn how that system works together to make the home energy efficient, comfortable and safe.
An energy audit is like a physical for the home to determine what surgery needs to be done.
Stay tuned for updates on HPwES program coming to Michigan.

Labels: Air Flow, Air Pressure, Energy Audit