The National Association of Manufacturers today called on the United States Senate to pass the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, which would authorize a national incentive program for residential energy efficiency retrofits. In a letter addressed to members of the Senate, Dorothy Coleman, NAM’s Vice President for Tax, Technology and Domestic Economic Policy, said:

“The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) — the nation’s largest industrial trade association — supports the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (S. 3434) introduced May 27th by Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

By providing significant and immediate rebates for home energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Star program would spur much-needed consumer demand for energy-efficient products and building materials and quickly create jobs in the manufacturing and distribution of these products.

U.S. manufacturing employment has fallen by nearly 2.2 million since December 2007 to a level of just over 11.5 million. The deep decline in the housing market — which includes the home improvement sector — has had a significant impact on manufacturing. Nearly a quarter of the manufacturing jobs lost have been in industries closely connected to housing, such as furniture, wood, textile products and building materials.

Cost-effective energy efficiency and conservation measures are important for reducing energy costs, stretching available energy supplies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The manufacturing sector has taken the lead in making energy efficiency a priority. In fact, manufacturers’ efforts on this front over the past 40 years have already made our nation 46 percent more energy efficient.

American manufacturers are committed to producing more energy-efficient consumer products for residential use. With more than half of the 86 million single-family homes throughout the United States constructed before modern codes even existed, the vast majority of U.S. homes are not well insulated, have outdated heating and cooling systems, have inefficient windows and doors and are great candidates for energy-efficiency upgrades.

NAM members believe that S. 3434 will improve the energy efficiency of American homes while increasing employment in the U.S. home construction, renovation and manufacturing industries. We urge you to support quick action on this important initiative.”

Visit  www.efficiencyfirst.org/home-star to learn more about the proposed incentive program and about how you can voice your support for this important legislation.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

“Cash for Caulkers” is nearly here. Last month the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5019 – also known as the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 or “Cash for Caulkers” – to kick-start construction, create jobs and cut back carbon emissions. While the bill still needs to clear the Senate, supporters predict it will pass this summer.

This is great news for homeowners and contractors alike. The bill provisions $6 billion for energy-efficient or “green” retrofits. It is expected to fund renovations for 3 million families, create 168,000 new jobs and save consumers $9.2 billion on energy bills over the next 10 years.

But in order to cash in on upcoming rebates, homeowners and contractors will need to do their homework. There are 13 types of retrofits eligible for funding. Each retrofit has unique eligibility requirements and set rebate amounts. You can read the full text here.

We made it really easy to wade through the legalese. Below is a table that breaks down the 13 retrofits of the bill, along with the requirements and rebate amount for each. In addition to the requirements we listed, each retrofit must comply with Building Performance Institute (BPI) standards or other procedures to be approved by the Secretary of Energy.

We also decided to combine these retrofits into three packages that will help homeowners get the best bang for their buck. But first, let’s review the program details.

Who is Eligible and How to Qualify?
The Home Star bill offers two rebate programs, the “Silver Star” program and “Gold Star” program. Here are details for each:

· Silver Star – Unless another amount is specified in the “Rebate Amount” column above, homeowners will receive a $1,000 rebate for each retrofit listed in our table. The maximum amount of rebates paid out will be $3,000 or 50% of the total cost, whichever is lower. For example, if a homeowner spends a total of $4,000 on eligible retrofits, they will get $2,000 or 50% back as a rebate. If they spend $8,000 on eligible retrofits, they would only receive $3,000 in rebates instead of $4,000 (which would be 50% of the cost).

· Gold Star – To qualify for the Gold Star program, homeowners must reduce their total home energy consumption by 20%. A $3,000 rebate will be rewarded for this reduction. Homeowners can receive an additional $1,000 for each additional 5% reduction, up to a total rebate of $8,000 or 50% of the total retrofit cost. Rebates may be provided for any of the retrofits listed under the Silver Star program, or for any other energy-saving measure, including: home energy management systems, high-efficiency appliances, highly reflective roofing, awnings, canopies, and similar external fenestration (window) attachments, automatic boiler water temperature controllers, energy-efficient wood products, insulated vinyl siding, and mechanical air circulation and heat exchangers in a passive-solar home.

The Home Star bill also includes rebates for do-it-yourself (DIY) homeowners that are confident in taking on the renovations themselves. DIY’ers can get up to $250 in rebates for products purchased without installation service. This rebate is limited to attic insulation, crawl space insulation and/or air-sealing retrofits.

Seal Your House Envelope and Improve Insulation
Before carrying out any serious retrofit, homeowners need to weatherize and seal their house “envelope.” The envelope includes outer walls, windows, doors, floors and the ceiling. If the house is not properly sealed and insulated, then subsequent HVAC retrofits won’t be as effective.

In some cases, savvy do-it-yourselfers may be able to handle these projects themselves. There are plenty of books and great online resources (e.g. ACEEE.org) that provide instructions. However, you should seriously consider hiring an auditor beforehand. Special diagnostics equipment will show where air is escaping and to what extent. For example, thermal imaging devices detect areas in walls that are poorly insulated and dispersing heat. This information would be unavailable without such devices.

So how much does it cost to seal all the air leaks in a home? Prices will obviously vary based on where you live, how big your property is and the scope of the retrofit. But it will likely cost a few thousand dollars to hire a contractor for this type of renovation. In this example from the New York Times, the author spent $3,760 for insulating and sealing the envelope of his 1,200 square foot home.

How much can homeowners expect to save? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that homeowners can save 20% on heating and cooling costs by sealing leaks and adding insulation. In New York – one of the most expensive places to heat a home with an average annual cost of $1,513 – this would be a yearly savings of $300 just for heating.

Continuing with the example from the New York Times, the Silver Star program would provide $1,880 (50%) in rebates for their retrofit. At an annual savings rate of $300, the renovation would pay for itself in six years (or less if you include cost savings from reduced air conditioning bills).

Repair and Replace Leaky Ducts
Ducts are notoriously leaky and inefficient. They are one of the usual suspects in a crime of high utility bills, or when rooms are difficult to heat and cool. The EPA calculates that 20% of air moving through ductwork is lost due to leaks, holes and poor connections. Other sources put estimates closer to 40%. So while suffering from “leaky ducts” may sound innocuous, it can have a big impact on the efficiency and costs of heating and cooling your home.

Fortunately, duct replacement and sealing is eligible for funding under the Home Star bill. Many homeowners will want to outsource this project to a qualified HVAC contractor. Contractors have equipment to detect leaks that otherwise may not be immediately visible. They also have methods to seal ducts that are inaccessible. For example, by spraying an adhesive or sealant through the duct work.

Replacing and sealing ducts can also be a DIY project, especially when ducts can be easily accessed in an attic or basement. Leaks should be sealed with mastic sealant or metal tape (not duct tape), then insulated to reduce heat loss and to further improve efficiency. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has an excellent guide on how to seal and insulate ducts.

Upgrade Your Furnace and Water Heater
Heating is the largest energy expense in homes, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). In colder parts of the country, it makes up 30 to 50% of annual energy bills. So improving the heating efficiency of your home will have the biggest impact on lowering your energy costs. Sealing air leaks is a good start, but replacing your heating system could provide real leverage towards cost savings.

If your furnace or boiler was purchased before 1990, then it is time to consider an upgrade. Modern furnaces are much more efficient than those that are older than 20 years. You can use rebates from the Home Star bill to replace your furnace, but you will need to meet their guidelines:

Water heaters are typically the second largest energy users after home heating and cooling systems. Replacing convention oil-fired water heaters with high-efficiency gas or electric heaters can save homeowners thousands of dollars over a 10 to 15 year period. The Home Star bill includes a variety of replacement options eligible for rebates.

This article was originally published by Software Advice at: Cash for Caulkers – The Definitive Guide to the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010

Efficiency First rallies US small businesses to support Home Star jobs bill
in DC

By Byron DeLear

Every now and again, an idea or concept or product comes along, spreads out
all over the place and sets a new standard. Take, for example, ATM machines
or UPC Barcode or even the internet; looking back, it’s hard to imagine
those innovations not being ubiquitous and ever-present. We just accept them
today as being an integral part of the modern landscape, like wallpaper or
furniture, cars.

“Energy efficiency” is quickly becoming the latest standard centering around
new retrofit construction techniques reducing the energy consumption of
homes, offices and buildings.

Energy efficiency generates multiple benefits:

* Massive job creation and domestic economic stimulus

* Homeowners save money on energy bills

* Increase American energy independence

* First step in diversifying the US energy sector; renewable energy and
smart grid rollout

* Good for the environment

Last week, Efficiency First organized over a 100 small business contractors
from across the nation to travel to Washington DC to champion the Home Star
Energy Retrofit Act in the US Senate, which had previously passed the US
House with bi-partisan support. Home Star is a jobs bill, but it doesn’t
stop there. It also supports the development of smart energy strategies and
jump starts the energy efficiency industry. Home Star has sometimes been
called “Cash for Caulkers” loosely named after the well-known “Cash for
Clunkers” program. But whereas Cash for Clunkers often went to purchase
foreign cars, just about Home Star’s whole kit-and-caboodle stays in the US.

Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT.), who had authored the US House version of
Home Star, addressed the contractors, saying,

“We want to build up manufacturing in this country and 90% of the materials
that are used in this work are manufactured in this country — so even
without the whole debate about ‘buy American’ — it will be bought in
America. This work will be done in America.”

Representing Missouri as chair of the Missouri Association of Accredited
Energy Professionals (MAAEP), I advocated with other efficiency business
owners to the offices of eight US Senators, including personal exchanges
with Missouri’s Sen. Claire McCaskill and Sen. Sam Brownback of neighboring
state Kansas. I applauded Senator Brownback on recent Kansas City successes
with the number of energy efficiency retrofits leading the Midwest,
including Kansas City Missouri’s Green Impact Zone.

Sen. Brownback indicated his support for Home Star, and said,

“Let’s try to find a way to get this done.”

Many potential solutions to get Home Star passed were talked about in the
offices of Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK.), Tom Harkin (D-IA.), Ben Nelson
(D-Neb.), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX.), Kit Bond (R-MO.) and Jeff Sessions
(R-AL.) , to name a few our group visited (there were 8 Efficiency First
groups).

Matt Golden, President of Recurve, Inc. and policy chair of Efficiency First
had a lot to say about the struggling construction trades; how Home Star
acts as a ’shot in the arm’ building up a new industry that puts
underemployed workers back on the job.

“For hundreds of thousands of American construction and manufacturing
workers who have been sidelined by the recession, the proposed Home Star
program – which now awaits Senate approval – represents a lifeline to good
jobs with living wages in a growing 21st-century industry. While much of our
economy appears to be on the road to recovery, the outlook for American
construction workers is truly grim. According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, nearly 2 million construction jobs dried up between December
2007 and January 2010, leaving around one in five experienced construction
workers unemployed. And with demand for new buildings stalled at
historically low levels, there’s little hope that these workers will be
rehired in traditional construction jobs any time soon.”
This is where Home Star comes in.

Slated to begin creating 168,000 jobs the moment President Obama signs into
law, Home Star is not just throwing money at a wall to see what sticks, it
builds a market-driven rebate model that rewards home owners who reach
higher levels of efficiency performance, which is good for our nation as a
whole. Home Star also leverages private investment giving more bang for the
buck. Home Star is a $6 billion program, so a state like Missouri is
pro-rated to receive a potential $120 million dollars.

As I’ve said in the past, I believe in less than ten years, an energy audit
and retrofit for an existing home or office will become as commonplace as
the safety and emissions test for your car. It will be a new standard and
this is a new industry taking hold the nation. Efficiency is about jobs, and
domestically manufactured products like weather-strip, insulation and
caulking. Estimates fly around about the size of this national revolution of
retrofits, from 1 trillion dollars of economic activity to a recent figure I
heard from the Department of Energy roadshow in Kansas City, a gargantuan 6
trillion dollars coast-to-coast! (presumably including commercial Real
Estate)

In an era of incessant dismantling of entire legacy industries stateside,
all Americans should lower their shoulders to help launch the energy
efficiency industry into the mainstream–and all Americans can participate
in its rollout. These jobs are quality American jobs that are insulated from
outsourcing and as job creation is the prevailing social issue of the day,
our collective support of this emerging new standard becomes the moral,
patriotic and smart thing to do.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

By Matt Golden May. 16, 2010, 7:00pm PDT 

The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month authorizes the creation of a national incentive program (informally known as “Cash for Caulkers”) that would invest $6 billion over two years in helping homeowners save money on their energy bills, while reducing household carbon emissions and scaling back our dependence on foreign oil. But there’s more to it than that.

For hundreds of thousands of American construction and manufacturing workers who have been sidelined by the recession, the proposed Home Star program – which now awaits Senate approval – represents a lifeline to good jobs with living wages in a growing 21^st-century industry.

While much of our economy appears to be on the road to recovery, the outlook for American construction workers is truly grim.   According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 2 million construction jobs dried up between December 2007 and January 2010, leaving around one in five experienced construction workers unemployed.   And with demand for new buildings stalled at historically low levels, there’s little hope that these workers will be rehired in traditional construction jobs any time soon.

The ongoing crisis in the construction industry has hit the manufacturing and retail sectors as well.   Statistical analysis produced by the Home Performance Resource Center, a nonprofit industry research group, shows that factories involved in the production of building materials, heating and cooling equipment and household appliances are operating at around 30 to 50 percent below capacity, with a similarly bleak outlook for near-term growth.  In addition, for most categories, more than 90 percent of manufacturing is domestic.

The good news is that by stimulating consumer demand for energy retrofits, Home Star would leverage private investment to create an estimated 168,000 local jobs in construction and related industries within two years – jobs that cannot be outsourced overseas.  Furthermore, the replacement windows, sheet metal, HVAC equipment and other materials used in home energy remodeling are overwhelmingly produced by American mills and factories, so the work would provide a shot in the arm for our manufacturing and retail sectors as well.

If enacted, the Home Star program will provide two very different kinds of consumer incentives.  If you’ve ever received a rebate for buying an energy-efficient refrigerator or water heater, you’re already familiar with what the legislation called the Silver Star incentive path.  This component of the program would reimburse homeowners up to $3,000 for a variety of products and home improvements, including insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, or replacing old furnaces and air conditioners with new high-efficiency models.

The performance-based Gold Star path, on the other hand, represents the future of residential energy management, leveraging state-of-the-art building science methods to identify sources of energy waste and then reward homeowners for implementing the most cost-effective remediation measures available.

Unlike the Silver Star path, Gold Star rebates are based on modeled energy savings as determined by scientific evaluation of a home’s pre-retrofit energy performance and computer simulation of energy use after the retrofit.  This approach gives homeowners and their contractors the freedom to select any combination of home improvement measures that will achieve the desired results. Homeowners who opt for the Gold Star path would receive a $3,000 rebate for predicted energy savings of 20 percent, plus an additional $1,000 for each additional 5 percent of energy savings up to a cap of 50 percent of the overall project cost.

The potential impact of the Gold Star model is huge. While the Silver Star path is designed for rapid deployment and job creation in today’s market, Gold Star will enable a different set of market forces and shift our attention away from the prescriptive policies that have been used in the past. Placing a clear economic value on energy saved rather than on specific products or technologies will drive innovation, and lead us towards a market based, and highly economically efficient, model that can continue to scale into the future without the long-term need for government subsidies.

The combination of an industry that is capable of consistently delivering on predicted savings, coupled with a smart grid that will provide real energy pricing and transparency, will allow the energy efficiency industry to directly monetize energy savings on forward capacity markets and through ESCO relationships with our customers. Home Star represents an investment in the foundation of this future market.

Ultimately, we can achieve the greatest gains in energy efficiency and carbon abatement through a combination of technologies that work together – from improved insulation and air sealing to more efficient appliances and HVAC equipment to on-site power generation and smart grid systems that will enable utilities and homeowners to manage energy use and reduce peak demand. Gold Star is good first step toward that goal.

Although Home Star has been authorized by the House of Representatives, the program still needs Senate approval and an appropriations bill to provide funding before the bill can be signed into law. For the legions of unemployed Americans who have lost jobs in construction and related industries, there’s not a moment to lose.

Matt Golden is the founder and president of San Fran

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Statement by the President on House Passage of Home Star Legislation

“The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act is a common sense bill that will create jobs, save consumers money, and strengthen our economy.  I commend the House on passing this bill, and I particularly want to thank Congressman Peter Welch of Vermont for all of his hard work on this issue.   At a time when millions of Americans are looking for work and companies are ready to take on new customers, this legislation will help jumpstart job growth and demand for new products created right here in America.   This rebate program will not only put people back to work, it will lower costs for homeowners who choose to improve their home with products like energy efficient windows, water heaters and air conditioners.  And it will also save consumers money on energy bills down the road.

I’m convinced that the country that leads in clean energy is also going to be the country that leads in the global economy and I want America to be that nation.  I will not settle for anything less than first place when it comes to new energy technologies, and this bill will create the incentives to help us accomplish that goal.  We have workers eager to do new installations and renovations, and factories ready to produce new energy efficient building supplies.  Today’s House vote is an important step forward, and I look forward to working with the Senate to improve this legislation so we can help more middle-class homeowners make these investments without delay.”

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT ON HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF “HOMESTAR” LEGISLATION

“Today’s bipartisan Committee vote is an important step forward in our effort to create jobs, save consumers money, and increase energy efficiency.  In my State of the Union Address and in the months since, I have called on Congress to pass a program of incentives to homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient.  The Home Star legislation approved today would do just that – providing consumers with up-front rebates on investments in things like insulation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and windows that have been proven to save energy.  This proposal is not a Democratic or Republican idea: it’s a common sense strategy to help put Americans back to work while giving American consumers a break.  I want to thank the members of Congress from both parties that have worked to support this legislation, as well as their colleagues in the Senate who are working to promote Home Star legislation.  I look forward to working with Congress to get this bill to my desk without delay.”

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Washington, D.C. – The HOME STAR Coalition today announced it now has 1,000 members from all 50 states – including construction contractors, building products and mechanical manufacturers, retail sales businesses, environmental and energy efficiency groups and labor advocates – who want to see the job creation and energy savings benefits of bipartisan HOME STAR legislation realized.

The Coalition’s announcement comes on the heels of Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introducing the bipartisan “Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010” (S. 3177) on March 25.  House members are expected to introduce companion HOME STAR legislation after the congressional recess, and the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee has already voted on draft legislation.

“HOME STAR is gaining a lot of momentum,” said Richard Burbank, owner of Evergreen Your Home, a Maine-based home performance company and the 1,000^th member to join the HOME STAR Coalition.  “Evergreen is proud to be a part of such a diverse Coalition and advocating for passage of a bill that is going to create good jobs and help get our economy back on track.”

HOME STAR is a market-driven, low-bureaucracy program that would create jobs fast by scaling the existing home energy efficiency improvement industry.  HOME STAR would use incentives to spur more Americans to start making their homes more energy efficient. It would establish a $6 billion rebate program to encourage immediate investment in energy-efficient appliances, building mechanical systems and insulation, and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits. Consumers nationwide would embrace HOME STAR because it will be simple, accessible and help them save money.

“HOME STAR is the right plan at the right time,” said Matt Golden, President and Co-founder of home performance company Recurve.  “The construction industry is in a depression right now with a 25 percent unemployment rate.  HOME STAR will put tens of thousands of American construction workers back to work making American homes more energy efficient.”

HOME STAR would help to kick-start the comeback of our country’s hard-hit construction industry.  It’s estimated the legislation would create 168,000 new jobs in construction and related industries over the next two years.  This would have a big impact because one out of four construction workers is currently out of a job.

For more information about HOME STAR and the HOME STAR Coalition, please visit www.homestarcoalition.org.

Posted via web from proenergy’s posterous

It’s a perfect storm out there for residential energy-efficiency retrofits, and many of the pieces of this tricky puzzle are coming together. But there’s one big catch – us. Here’s why:

Efficiency is Cheaper, Safer, Faster and Smarter

Okay, so we’ve known this since efficiency guru Amory Lovins first coined the term ‘negawatt’ decades ago. But it makes even more sense now. You can get the same reductions in energy costs with $40 worth of CFL bulbs or $1000 worth of solar panels. In a down economy, it doesn’t take an economist to tell you which is the better deal. By switching bulbs, reducing power consumption, and tightening up leaky buildings, we can save 30% – 50% of the nearly $140 billion American homes spend each year on electricity. These are efforts that can take place simultaneously in every community across the country, putting tens of thousands of people back to work. As the tragic accident recently at a new power plant in Connecticut demonstrated yet again, power-production projects are long-term, capital-intensive, and dangerous.

This doesn’t mean we don’t need new sources of power. It just means that increasing energy productivity is safer, faster, and cheaper. For recovering from a recession in an era of waning fossil fuels, and increasing environmental imperatives that also makes it the hands-down smarter choice for immediate investment.

Technology is Making a Difference

The ability to change people’s behavior through simple awareness has attracted the attention of the software sector. Apple, Google and Microsoft are all getting into the Home Energy Monitoring business, and utility companies are actively rolling out SmartMeter programs that give utilities and customers much better information and control over when and how they use power. Companies like oPower are combining sophisticated software with simple psychology to let people know how their energy bill compares with their neighbors. Low-cost devices like the Kill-A-Watt or the Power Cost Monitor which demonstrate the power you’re using in real time, have also proven effective in reducing power usage. The cost of energy-efficient technologies from LED bulbs to solar panels continues to drop, even as their performance and versatility improve; and the same is true of less high-tech products ranging from better windows to more effective insulation.

The Carrots and Sticks Are Coming

Across the country, incentives for efficiency are already being offered by over a dozen states and many utility companies for high performance lighting, energy-saving appliances, better insulation, and weatherization. The success of programs like Energy Star and “Cash for Clunkers” have inspired a “Cash for Caulkers” program called Home Star that is likely to be included in upcoming jobs legislation currently running through Congress.  In February, the US EPA and the DOE announced the new State Energy Efficiency (SEE) Action Network to help states improve and expand their efficiency efforts.  Meanwhile building codes are getting tougher. CA’s stringent new green building codes calls for higher standards on water, energy and waste; but also includes provisions that make it easier to get your home certified as a green building without the expense of third-party certification like LEED. Tighter national controls on energy use and carbon emissions are only a matter of time. And home energy use, which accounts for 21% of the nation’s carbon footprint (twice that of passenger cars!) is already in the cross-hairs.

The Big Players Are Getting On Board

Not only are states and the Feds getting involved in efficiency efforts, but utilities are coming under mandate to reduce energy consumption from laws like California’s AB32. The housing crisis has taken an enormous toll on sectors including construction, real-estate, and architecture. These hard-hit industries are quickly retooling to focus on energy efficiency. Major home-supply retailers including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Masco’s and others are creating home efficiency services. Even the Venture Capitalists, who’ve been drooling over solar for the last several years, are scaling back, and investing in efficiency. The Cleantech Group reports that in 2008 VC investment in solar dropped 64%, while money on efficiency rose 39%. The smart money is shifting because capital-intensive solar is hard to push in a down market, and the field is flooded. Speaking to the Mercury News in Silicon Valley, Kevin Surace of Serious Materials sums it up, saying:

“All the cleantech conferences are efficiency, efficiency, efficiency…When you really break it down, every dollar spent on energy efficiency pays back the investment four or five times. It saves people money and creates jobs. And it has bipartisan support.”

So where are the customers? Despite all these trends, demand for home efficiency retrofits is still weak. Companies that simply do energy audits without providing solutions often leave customers overwhelmed with options but confused about where to begin, and loath to spend money. High-end home-performance companies charging $10K – $15K for a whole home performance package, are understandably having trouble getting customers, and won’t be practical for millions of homeowners. New financing packages like the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program extend retrofit loans to homeowners. These programs were originally designed to finance solar programs by removing the high-upfront costs. Now they’re being applied to retrofit projects – but often require a minimum loan of several thousand dollars or more, and of course many homeowners are underwater and don’t want to go further into debt. Even a progressive city like Boulder, CO, which has unsuccessfully tried incentives, ad campaigns and free audits is now launching “Two Techs in a Truck” to literally go to people’s houses and make simple efficiency changes – for free! The result? Complaints about Big Government.

To meet our energy and environmental goals, we need to retrofit millions of homes a year. But to spur customer demand, we need to offer easy, affordable measures that significantly reduce utility bills. Neither business nor government can do either of these alone. It can’t be done simply with audits, gadgets, advertising and financing. But it can’t be done without these things either. It may be too early to tell whether the movement will take off this year, but one thing is certain – these are our homes we’re talking about here. And unless we collectively take responsibility for improving their performance, the bright future of energy efficiency will remain just that.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Feature-length documentary film Earth Days will premiere on Facebook with a live video stream and a chat at 8 p.m. EST on April 11, more than a week before the over-the-air PBS television premiere at 9 p.m. EST on April 19.

The film chronicles the history of Earth Day in the United States and investigates issues related to the today’s American environmentalism movement.  It has been playing the festival circuit and in select theaters for months, leading up to its PBSAmerican Experience premiere. Earth Days has pulled a 70 rating on Metacritic — “generally favorable reviews.”

The Facebook event will use a new social-streaming platform provided by a company called Brand Networks. The entire documentary will play (its producers claim this will be the first feature-length documentary to stream on Facebook) alongside a social stream of updates that can either be restricted to folks watching the event or made available to other Facebook friends.

Director Robert Stone will be joined by American Experience Executive Producer Mark Samels to interact with the community watching the film, though nobody’s said what that interaction will entail.

You can RSVP to the Facebook event page. It currently has 543 confirmed guests, 398 maybes and 2,344 from which it’s awaiting reply. That’s just the event page, though; there’s no telling how many will show up without RSVPing. In case you’re on the fence, here’s the trailer.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous