U.S. to announce home energy efficiency initiatives

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

Vice President Joe Biden is to announce a series of initiatives on Tuesday aimed at helping middle-income Americans make their homes more energy efficient and boost job growth among home retrofitters.

The goal of the measures is two-fold -- help Americans keep down energy costs while at the same time laying the groundwork for a larger home energy efficiency industry.

"Together, these programs will grow the home retrofit industry and help middle-class families save money and energy," Biden is to say at the event.

(snip)
Biden will also announce an Energy Department proposal to create a uniform set of guidelines for workers in the retrofitting industry to follow.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101109/pl_nm/us_usa_politics_energy

[Tansy_Gold]

1. I wonder if those "initiatives" will include incentives

to install two way PV systems?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4602694#4603249



TG, NTY

[groundloop]

2. This is good - wonder how the repukes will spin it

[One_Life_To_Give]

3. Incentives for DIY's

IMO Middle Income americans (47k/yr) will find it difficult to Pay someone to do the work. Wouldn't it be beneficial to provide incentives on the materials so they could do it themselves?

[Robb]

4. Perhaps, but that won't create a job, technically.

I think this is meant to be a two-fer. :shrug:

[zipplewrath]

5. How about prohibitions on telemarketing

I've gotten a continuous stream of marketing calls all year long about the current program. They constantly announce that they aren't doing a sales call, they merely want to "make me aware" of a government program to improve the energy efficiency of my home.

Apparently the job growth intended for these programs is predominately in telephone sales. Maybe this explains the trip to India?

[kath]

6. But NOT A WORD in the article about extending the home energy tax credits.

What the hell? (the credit for big projects - solar, etc - continues. But the credit for 30% of costs (up to a $1500 credit) for things like insulation, energy-efficient doors, windows, roofing materials, etc., ends at the end of this year.
:-(

Loans are good, tax credits even better.