Sencon

Home Star Approved By House: Passage Hailed

SENCON applauded both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for their action on behalf of H.R. 5019, also known as the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, which will help create tens of thousands of jobs in the construction and housing industries and help homeowners reduce their energy use and bills through energy efficiency investments.

The House, in a bipartisan vote, approved the measure, which must now go before the Senate. At the heart of the House version of the bill is a new program that will provide grants to homeowners for weatherizing their homes. The bill specifies two channels through which these grants will work: 

• A Silver Star channel offers between $250 and $1,500 in incentives for a variety of specific energy saving measures with a maximum subsidy of up to $3,000 per home.
• A Gold Star channel provides incentives of $3,000 to $8,000 per home for comprehensive packages of energy-saving measures. The incentives increase as the amount of energy that can be saved is increased.

The Senate version of the bill adopts minimum efficiency standards as reported out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on products designed for home use such as air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, outdoor lights, drinking water dispensers and hot tubs. 

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that this bill will generate more than 160,000 jobs and reduce consumer energy bills by more than $1 billion annually. A fair portion of those benefits stands to benefit the Hampton Road’s economy and its citizens.

“Hampton Roads has not been immune from the tough economic times that have hit our country. Our friends in the construction industry have particularly suffered. This bill is a great step in the right direction to put workers back on the job and companies like SENCON on track to helping consumers take cost-saving energy measures that benefit both the economy and the environment,” says Aneil Kumar, president of SENCON. 

SENCON is Hampton Roads’ leading sustainable services provider for the light commercial, multi-family and residential markets. In addition to providing energy audits, weatherization and other energy improving services for homeowners, the Virginia Beach-based company also provides third-party verification and other consulting and certifying commercial services, as well as training for building professionals and future home energy auditors.

The bill was sponsored and approved with broad bipartisan support showing that creating much needed jobs and reducing Americans’ energy consumption is something everyone can stand behind.