About HOME STAR

HOME STAR (also known as 'Cash for Caulkers') is a new legislation proposal that establishes a $6 billion national rebate program for energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings. Only accredited energy auditors such as BPI Certified Building Analysts and accredited retrofit contracting companies with at least two BPI (or eqivalent) certifications can participate in the initiative's GOLD STAR program.

 

The program is designed to stimulate immediate job growth and investment in energy-efficient appliances, building mechanical systems and insulation, and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits via strong consumer incentives.

HOME STAR will offer two different incentive levels – GOLD STAR and SILVER STAR. The legislation is still being drafted, but details about the proposed programs follow:

 

 

The $1.7 billion GOLD STAR level is a two-year program that features the highest incentive amounts offered and will be available only for whole-home improvement projects. A Building Performance Institute (BPI) Building Analyst Certified Professional (or an approved equivalent rater) conducts an energy audit and comprehensive home performance assessment before work begins, then develops and prioritizes improvement measures specific to the needs of the particular house. Those measures are then implemented by a GOLD STAR Accredited Contracting Company— which must have at least two BPI certifications (or another accreditation approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy).

When the work is complete, the certified analyst returns to the house to conduct a test-out energy audit. This test-out assessment ensures that the installed measures are working properly and determines the modeled energy savings achieved. It also provides risk reduction for homeowners and tax payer dollars by creating a formalized quality assurance program that is hard-coded into the GOLD STAR incentive level.

If the home’s energy performance improves by 20% the homeowner will receive $3,000 in incentives, plus an additional $1,000 for each additional 5% improvement. Depending on how much the home’s energy use is reduced, up to 50% of the entire project cost could be covered (capped at $8,000)!

*** Under the GOLD STAR level, only BPI Certified Building Analysts (or an approved equivalent) can perform the test-in/test-out energy audit assessments.

And ONLY BPI GOLD STAR Accredited Contractors (or another accreditation approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy) can implement energy efficiency improvement measures.***

 

 

SILVER STAR is a one-year program designed to kick-start job creation. It features lower incentive amounts and is intended for faster, smaller-scale projects with less impact on overall energy efficiency. Homeowners can receive between $1,000 and $1,500 for each measure installed in the home, or $250 per appliance, with a benefit not exceeding $3,000 or at most 50% of total project costs (whichever is less).

Covered measures include: air sealing attic, wall, and crawl space insulation duct sealing or replacement replacement of existing windows and doors, furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters and appliances with high-efficiency models.

 

 

HOME STAR will provide a rebate to consumers, which can be assigned to another party including the manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or contractor who completes the work. This rebate can be credited to consumers at multiple points in the transaction process including at the point of sale or point of completion of the job. The HOME STAR initiative will be significantly enhanced by proposed financing tools to reduce the upfront cost burden faced by homeowners for residential retrofit projects.

 

 

The program establishes a robust system of post-project-completion quality assurance to ensure quality installations adhering to technical standards and to provide accountability, protecting against waste, fraud and abuse. This system establishes industry performance standards, ensures that a portion of all jobs are inspected by credentialed professionals, and offers an additional incentive to contractors that invest in a trained and certified workforce. Contractors can enroll in the program by registering and presenting proof of licensing and insurance to a quality assurance provider through BPI, RESNET, or a provider designated by the state quality assurance plans.

 

 

HOME STAR is endorsed by the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB). This proposal is based on the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) legislation that is included in the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act passed by the House of Representatives, and in the Building Efficiency title of American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) reported out by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Additional measures are drawn from leading state and local programs. This program also builds on investments made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and on executive actions taken as a result of the Vice President’s Recovery through Retrofit program.