Types of Home Star Incentives
There are two ways to participate in and benefit from Home Star.
Silver Star Path
The Silver Star prescriptive path provides a near-term incentive for specific energy saving investments. Homeowners receive between $1,000 and $1,500 for each measure installed in the home, or $250 per appliance, with a benefit not to exceed $3,000 or 50 percent of total project costs (whichever is less). Covered measures include air sealing; attic, wall, and crawl space insulation; duct sealing or replacement; and replacement of existing windows and doors, furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters and high-efficiency appliances. The legislation is currently worded so that it will utilize existing federal standards for qualifying products at a level expected to significantly increase consumer demand for highly efficient building materials and mechanical systems. Silver Star improvements may be implemented by any appropriately licensed and insured contractor. Participating contractors will receive information about opportunities for accreditation and training programs that can increase their involvement in the Home Star program and the level of services they can provide to homeowners. Silver Star contractors are only required to submit a job completion checklist before disbursements can be made for improvements.
Gold Star Path
The Gold Star performance path promises to deliver the best results for homeowners and more job-creating work for contractors and manufacturers by offering an incentive to households that choose to conduct a comprehensive energy audit and then implement a variety of measures designed to provide greater total returns in energy savings. This path best represents the ideal future of home efficiency where state-of-the-art building science is used to identify problems, present solutions and deliver verifiable energy savings, generating confidence among homeowners and investors alike. This approach is based on overall home performance, not specific products, so funds are ultimately directed to solutions that achieve the best results as actually measured, rather than assumed. A certified professional with accreditation from the Building Performance Institute (BPI), the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) or an approved equivalent conducts an energy audit before work begins, as well as a test-out when the performance retrofit is complete in order to actually measure the benefits generated by the modifications. Consumers receive $3,000 toward modeled savings that achieve 20 percent energy savings, plus an additional $1,000 incentive for each additional 5 percent of modeled energy savings. Incentives cannot exceed 50 percent of overall project costs. Contractors implementing the Gold Star path must be BPI accredited. They must also submit a job completion checklist and work scope for each project, along with test-in/test-out data, before the incentive can be disbursed.
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