WASHINGTON - Home energy efficiency incentives proposed by President Barack Obama will create much-needed jobs and help make America more energy independent, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
Speaking Tuesday in Savannah, GA, President Obama outlined a $6 billion proposal to provide cash rebates to home owners who make energy-saving home improvements. Administration officials estimate that up to 4 million households could benefit from the program, officially known as Homestar, but dubbed "Cash for Caulkers" by many in Congress and the media.
"This has the potential to be a real shot in the arm for the home building industry," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, MI. "It will help put America back to work and it will help families save on monthly energy bills." NAHB economists estimate that every $1 billion in remodeling and home improvement activity generates 11,000 jobs, $527 million in wages and salaries, and $300 million in business income.
"Making the existing housing stock more energy efficient is one of the most effective ways to achieve national energy conservation goals," Jones added. "In the long run this can be an important step in reducing the nation's dependence on foreign energy supplies."
A program managed by the Builders Association of Minnesota could serve as a model for the president's proposed initiative, Jones said. That program has served as the conduit for federal stimulus program funds provided to the state for its energy-efficiency programs. The association has trained 1,000 remodelers and other residential contractors and funneled the money to 1,400 Minnesota home owners to help them make needed improvements.
"The president and Congress should look to the Minnesota program as an excellent example of how the proposal could work nationally," Jones said. "For this effort to be successful, the opportunities must be equally accessible to everyone," Jones said. "We need to make sure that Congress does not put up barriers that would keep this program from reaching its full potential."
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Speaking Tuesday in Savannah, GA, President Obama outlined a $6 billion proposal to provide cash rebates to home owners who make energy-saving home improvements. Administration officials estimate that up to 4 million households could benefit from the program, officially known as Homestar, but dubbed "Cash for Caulkers" by many in Congress and the media.
"This has the potential to be a real shot in the arm for the home building industry," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, MI. "It will help put America back to work and it will help families save on monthly energy bills." NAHB economists estimate that every $1 billion in remodeling and home improvement activity generates 11,000 jobs, $527 million in wages and salaries, and $300 million in business income.
"Making the existing housing stock more energy efficient is one of the most effective ways to achieve national energy conservation goals," Jones added. "In the long run this can be an important step in reducing the nation's dependence on foreign energy supplies."
A program managed by the Builders Association of Minnesota could serve as a model for the president's proposed initiative, Jones said. That program has served as the conduit for federal stimulus program funds provided to the state for its energy-efficiency programs. The association has trained 1,000 remodelers and other residential contractors and funneled the money to 1,400 Minnesota home owners to help them make needed improvements.
"The president and Congress should look to the Minnesota program as an excellent example of how the proposal could work nationally," Jones said. "For this effort to be successful, the opportunities must be equally accessible to everyone," Jones said. "We need to make sure that Congress does not put up barriers that would keep this program from reaching its full potential."
Read more.
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