Author Archive

Green Mortgages

Though the general public is just now becoming aware of green mortgages, they’ve actually been around for decades. They are also referred to as Energy Efficient Mortgages or Energy Improvement Mortgages.

A green mortgage allows you to roll in the costs of making specific energy saving improvements to the home you are building or purchasing. This will, of course, increase your monthly mortgage payment but since because these improvements will drastically lower your energy, gas and water consumption, your monthly utilities will decrease even more so than your mortgage. Saving you money every month.

Besides lowering your total monthly bills, you will be eligible to receive tax credits from the federal and local governments for many of your improvements. You properties resale value may actually increase due to the improvements and having an energy efficient home will make the home more attractive to potential home buyers should you decide to sell your home.

Individual monthly savings will differ depending on the degree of the property’s energy efficiency. We’ve seen instances where the home energy efficiency improvements have led to monthly savings of $400 and greater.

Adding energy features such as solar panels and even residential wind turbines have allowed some green mortgage holders to be free of monthly electric bills altogether. Some companies will even pay you if your home generates more electricity than you use by giving the unused portion back to the grid.

Energy Efficient homes not only save you money, they are healthier to live in too. Read “Efficient & Healthy Homes” to learn how.

Real Estate by Lisa Scherzer (Author Archive)

Consider an Energy-Efficient Mortgage

Would you sign up for a mortgage that qualifies you for a bigger loan with less income and makes the world a greener place?

You might be able to through an energy-efficient mortgage, or EEM, the government loan granted to borrowers who build or upgrade their homes with energy-efficient features. The problem is most consumers either don’t know about the program, which has been around since the early 1990s, or they aren’t taking advantage of it.

Enter the Obama administration. Hoping to push home buyers and owners to act greener, the president is funneling about $50 million to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to jumpstart the EEM program. In December, he signed the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for a number of federal agencies, including HUD, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Labor – all devoted to clean energy efforts.

What does the new funding mean for home buyers and owners? Not much detail has been released yet; HUD and the Department of Energy (DOE) are still determining how best to position this product so more people take advantage of it, a HUD spokesman says.

One thing the department says it is aiming for is a more streamlined process of obtaining an energy-efficient mortgage – both financially and logistically. The existing program is perceived as complicated and inaccessible. Now, HUD and the DOE are trying to come up with an easier-to-access and less expensive model, says Michael Wolfe, executive director of Energy Programs Consortium, a nonprofit policy group, which is pilot testing an Energy Star mortgage program in several states.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fannie Mae and the Department of Veterans Affairs all have some version of an energy-efficient mortgage. (There are some differences between the various loans, but the basic ideas are the same.)

Read more: Consider an Energy-Efficient Mortgage at SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/Personal-Finance/Real-Estate/Should-You-Consider-an-Energy-Efficient-Mortgage/?cid=1228#ixzz0hCD20GDu

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Are you Remodeling or Adding-On to Your Home? If so our Home Performance with Energy Star evaluation/inspection is for you!

The Idaho Office Of Energy Resources offers a five-year loan at a low 4% interest for the Home Performance With Energy Star program.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Inspection - Guarantees the Five (5) required elements to insure that your home meets ENERGY STAR specifications.

 Homeowner-Builder-Remodeler-

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® is a national program designed to help homeowners make their existing home more energy efficient and bring their home up to ENERGY STAR performance standards for:

1. Comfort

2. Safety

3. Health

4. Durability

5. Energy Efficiency

A Home Performance Specialist (EARTHSAVERSO2) certified by the Office of Energy Resources can diagnostically evaluate and pre-test your home for targeting improvements of greater impact and profit that can often be made during a remodel / addition at a substantial reduction in cost increasing the efficiency and value of your home.

After all ENERGY STAR improvements are completed for the remodel a post-test by the HPS will guarantee that the improvements specified by the pre-test were satisfactorily achieved during the remodel. The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR certification process guarantees performance from your home as intended to provide comfort, safety, healthfulness, durability and energy efficiency for you and your family.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT EARTHSAVERSO2 AT 208-743-2132

 

Serving: Lewiston, Clarkston, Pullman, Moscow & Surrounding areas/Idaho/Washington

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http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/energy-efficiency/how-to-make-your-home-energy-efficient.htm

by Zolton Cohen

Inside this Article

• Sealing the Exterior
• Sealing the Interior
• Weatherstripping Doors
• Sealing Windows
• Sidewall and Garage Insulation
• Eliminating Ice Dams
• Attic Sealing and Insulation
• Upgrading Attic Insulation
• Cleaning and Maintenance
• Water Conservation

In this article, we’ll show you a variety of ways you can seal leaks and improve insulation to make your home cozier and more energy efficient. Once you’ve sealed and insulated the weak areas, the work doesn’t stop there. We’ll show you how routine cleaning and water conservation can increase energy efficiency and save you even more money on your energy bills. Begin the improvement process with the following basic sealing guidelines to help you secure your home’s exterior.

Testing for Leaks

 

Technicians use a “blower-door test” to accurately measure air leakage in houses. The test involves sealing a portable, frame-mounted fan in an exterior doorway to the house. Any known openings to the outside, such as the fireplace flue; bathroom vent fans; and the flues to the water heater, furnace, or boiler are temporarily sealed.

 

After the sealing and setup is complete and the blower fan is switched on, it is possible to measure with precision how much air is entering the house through all the various “unintended” cracks, gaps, and holes in the exterior envelope. Using devices called smoke pencils, technicians can pinpoint areas where air is entering the house while the blower door is in operation.

 

While every home is different and each has its own set of leakage points, there are areas where infiltration shows up repeatedly in blower-door tests. These often include the seam between the top of the foundation wall and the wood framing that runs above, around, and through doors and windows; along baseboards; through electrical receptacles and switches mounted on exterior walls; and around fireplaces, laundry chutes, attic hatchway doors and pull-down stairways, whole-house fan installations, and pipe and wire chases. A homeowner can go a long way toward increasing energy efficiency by locating and sealing up as many of these entry points as possible.

 

You don’t necessarily need to have a blower-door test done on your home in order to locate the unsealed areas that are leaking air. Knowing that these points of air entry have been routinely and consistently identified in other houses gives you a start on where to look for gaps and cracks in yours. A windy day outside can be helpful in this endeavor. Wind can push air into the house through unseen and unnoticed holes to the point that you can feel the air movement.

 

Checking Exterior Sheathing

Before plywood and oriented strand board (OSB) were invented, homes were built entirely with solid board lumber. The exterior was sheathed underneath the siding with wide boards that, over time, shrank and cracked. All these cracks — and the many others inherent in most homes — are pathways through which air can enter or leave a house. Sidewall sheathing is covered with siding, so all those cracks that appear in and between wide boards on older homes are hidden and inaccessible.

Air enters the sheathing through cracks in the siding; around windows and doors; and through other openings in the exterior envelope that include kitchen and bathroom vent fan louvers, dryer vents, holes bored for air-conditioning lines, electrical and gas service wires and pipes, along the underside of the lowest course of siding, and through other holes. Any time you can find and seal a crack on the exterior of a house, you go a long way toward reducing air infiltration and exfiltration on the inside.

 

Because of the large size of plywood and OSB sheets, there are relatively fewer seams in the sheathing on newer homes. And the use of products like house wrap on new construction has further reduced air infiltration. Consequently, most new homes are more airtight than older ones. But although the sheathing might be more airtight in a newer home, there are still many places where air is getting in and out. Finding and sealing those leakage points not only reduces drafts and energy usage, but it also helps keep out insects and other pests.

 

Filling Holes Around Lines

HVAC system installers need to bore a large hole through the exterior wall of the house in order to pass refrigerant lines through to the compressor outside. Most take time to caulk the hole around the lines, but the caulk fails over time, often leaving a gap where air (and insects) can infiltrate the house. A few minutes spent with a caulk gun will close the gap and shut off the flow of outside air into the house.

Caulking the Exterior

Some people find that once an older home has been freshly painted, they suddenly feel warmer or “cozier” inside during the winter. That may be because the painter who worked on the house took time to caulk cracks, gaps, and other holes in the home’s exterior “skin.” While minute gaps around doors and windows might not seem as though they could possibly add up to much, under certain conditions it is surprising how much air they can let into and out of a house.

 

Consider a windy day. Wind drives air into gaps and around obstructions. Add rain to the mix, and you’ve got the recipe for both water and air infiltration. So caulking pays off in regard to both energy savings and building preservation. That’s why you don’t need to wait until it’s time to paint to caulk visible openings on the exterior of your house.

 

 

 

Securing the Perimeter

The wooden framing in most homes rests on top of a solid concrete or concrete block foundation. In homes built before 1980 or so, the lowest section of wood, called the “mud sill,” rests directly on top of the concrete. While the connection is secure from a strength standpoint, in terms of eliminating air infiltration, things could be much better. The problem is the rough and variable surface of the top of the foundation wall. While there are many areas where the wood presses down tightly, other areas may leave a gap through which wind can enter.

 

The gaps, which collectively might add up to a hole the size of a basketball in the exterior envelope, can usually be sealed with either caulk or cans of spray foam. This procedure, which can be done either on the inside or outside of the house (depending on which offers the best access) requires that you first brush away the dirt and cobwebs from the concrete and wood so the caulk or foam will stick to both surfaces.

 

From that point on it’s just a matter of aiming the caulk tube’s tip or spray foam applicator tube at the gaps and gunning them full of caulk or foam. It’s a job that doesn’t have to be neat or precise, just thorough. Once you’re finished, you will have stopped up one of the leakiest places in the home.

 

In newer homes, the gap between the mud sill and the top of the foundation wall is filled with a thin, compressible length of foam material. The foam creates an airtight seal that does not need remedial caulking or foaming. However, it’s worth checking along this area anyway, as occasionally the foam sealer didn’t get placed exactly where it should have been. Also, the top of the foundation wall might be too uneven for the foam to fill the gap, someone might have forgotten to put it in place, or it might stop short of the corners. In any of those cases, a shot of caulk or foam can quickly remedy the problem.

In the next section, we’ll discuss some basic sealing techniques you can use indoors to help make your home more energy efficient.

Sealing the Interior

Baseboards and Floors

Gaps are often left between baseboards and hard floors, such as tile, hardwood, or laminate flooring. These gaps can be successfully and neatly filled with latex caulk, thus preventing air from entering the home at foot level.

Gaskets Can Block Drafts

Wind can sneak in through tiny gaps and cracks that you don’t even know are there. Often, the first time you’re aware of such a problem is when you flick a switch or plug an electronic device into a receptacle mounted on an exterior wall. Not only does the switch or receptacle feel cold, but it’s sometimes possible to actually feel a cold draft blowing into the room.

 

You can block many of these types of drafts from inside the house by purchasing and installing inexpensive switch and receptacle gaskets from a hardware store or home center. The gaskets, made of nonelectrically conductive fiber matt material, fit snugly around the switch or receptacle after the cover plate is removed. With the gasket in place the standard cover plate goes back on, creating an airtight seal against the wall. For the cost of just a few cents each, gaskets are a worthwhile investment in energy saving and comfort.

 

Caution: To avoid electrical shock, you should remove cover plates from switches and receptacles only after power has been shut off at the main service panel to the circuits where work is being done. Other than that, each gasket installation will require about two minutes of your time.

A Canister of Trouble

 

 

Attics and the Stack Effect

 

The floor of an attic is an important battlefield on the energy conservation front because of a phenomenon known as the “stack effect.”

 

Warm air rises. That much is nearly universally known; it is the reason hot air rises up a fireplace flue or “chimney stack.” What isn’t so commonly recognized is that rising warm air creates pressure at the top of whatever is containing it. In a household situation the top-floor ceiling acts as a containment barrier to rising warm air. As such, any small hole or gap in that area is subject to pressurized warm air trying to escape.

 

Warm air loss due to the stack effect has another consequence. As air exits through the top-floor ceiling or other holes, it creates a slight negative pressure inside the house. The air leaving has to be replaced, and that air comes from outside the house: cold, dry air. The incoming air has to be heated, and that’s when your furnace or boiler comes on.

Up the Flue

Builders occasionally run into difficulty framing and sealing an opening around a fireplace. There needs to be clearance between the wood and the masonry or metal, so the framing can’t fit tightly against those materials. That means the finish wall material — usually drywall or plaster — is supposed to bridge the gap for fire safety and also provide an airtight closure. Comprehensive sealing in this area, however, can sometimes be neglected. In some cases that means there are gaps around fireplaces that allow air to leave the house easily.

Take time to look inside and around fireplaces with a good flashlight to see whether there are any holes and gaps that need to be sealed with spray foam, fireproof caulk, or other filler material. Not only will this reduce the amount of air leaving the house via these pathways, but it can also protect areas from sparks or embers leaping out of a fire.

Weatherstripping around doors can help keep drafts out of your house, which can keep your heating and cooling bills under control. In the next section, we’ll discuss how to better secure your doors.

Home Inspections and why they are important…

Let me introduce my self, my name is Brook Beierle and I am a certified Building Performance Specialist at EarthsaversO2. I have several thoughts on why people should have inspections done on new and existing homes. You see as a third party inspection company, EarthsaversO2 does not sale any products only a service. You see a window company’s will inspect your home and sale you windows. A heating & air conditioning contractor inspects your home and they will suggest you upgrade your furnace or air conditioner. Is this what your home or building really needs to improve the energy efficiency and occupants indoor air quality? That is where are services come to your benefit! Our company will only consult you with cost effective home/ building improvement suggestions.

Why hire a Building Performance Specialist for New Homes?

I have inspected new homes that have and not had third party inspections services while being built. You see its not the people that make homes fail, it is the process! Most contractors spend efforts producing quantity not quality homes. A home that is Energy Star or built Green does not have to cost more. The first step to having a green energy efficient home is having the builder hire a third party verification company. By eliminating guesswork and applying building science many issues are prevented. Several homes that I went into for homeowners after they were built had serious energy robbing air leaks and potential health issues. These issues all can be dramatically prevented with prevention during building process. You see a builder does not always no everything about each trade they hire. That’s why they hire sub contractors. Sometimes the sub contractors are not up to date with standards…. Inspections & performance testing during construction and at completion is the only way to really control quality control.

Why have a Home Inspection for existing home?

Everyone works very hard to earn the money that pays the bills. What people do not realize how much money is being wasted in leaks out of the home year after year. Problems consist in many different areas in existing homes. With the right test such as a duct leakage test, infrared imaging and detailed inspections we then can evaluate and recommend cost effective improvements. Also it is important to understand that your homes indoor air quality is often worse then outside!

Don’t wait any longer! Contact EarthsavesO2 today for your new or existing home/building needs.

Brook Beierle

EarthsaverO2

Serving Lewiston, Clarkston, Pullman, Moscow/Idaho/Washington

EPA Announces Energy Star Homes Reach Nearly 17 Percent Market Share for 2008

Release date: 07/02/2009

Contact Information: Enesta Jones, jones.enesta@epa.gov, 202-564-7873, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that nearly 17 percent of all single-family homes built nationally in 2008 earned EPA’s Energy Star label, up from 12 percent in 2007. Both home builders and home buyers are continuing to invest in high performing homes that save consumers money on their utility bills and help protect the environment.

“Every year more Americans decide to cut their energy bills and help keep the air clean in their communities by buying a new home that has earned EPA’s Energy Star. Features like properly installed insulation, high-performance windows and high efficiency heating and cooling can reduce home energy needs by 20 to 30 percent, saving American families thousands of dollars on their utility bills,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Even in a difficult market, the interest in Energy Star qualified homes keeps rising. We’re helping builders and homebuyers to protect the environment, safeguard our health, and move the country into a low-carbon energy future.”

In addition, market share for Energy Star qualified homes was 20 percent or greater in 15 states in 2008, including Ariz., Colo., Conn., Hawaii, Iowa, Ky., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Okla., Texas, Utah, and Vt.

Nearly 940,000 Energy Star qualified homes have been built to date, with more than 100,000 of these constructed in 2008. In 2008 alone, American families living in Energy Star qualified homes locked in annual utility bill savings of more than $250 million — saving over 1.5 billion kWh of electricity and 155 million therms of natural gas while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of nearly 350,000 cars annually.

To earn the Energy Star label, homes must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by EPA. Typically they include energy-saving features such as:

• Effective Insulation Systems
• High-Performance Windows
• Tight Construction and Ducts
• Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment
• ENERGY STAR Qualified Lighting and Appliances

More information about Energy Star qualified homes: http://www.energystar.gov/HomesMarketIndex

ATTENTION RESIDENTIAL HOME BUILDER’S!  BUILD ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED HOMES TODAY!

Being an ENERGY STAR Builder will:

• Increase sales and profits by offering homes that are valued more highly by homebuyers
• Improve customer satisfaction and reduce callbacks by providing a home that has been performance tested.
• Receive Incentives from power company’s /Cooperative marketing funds
• Receive Marketing & promotional materials
• Enhance Reputation as a quality builder of homes that earn the trusted ENERGY STAR label
• List your business on the Northwest and National Energy Star websites
• As a Energy Star builder you will receive incentives from local utilities
• (Tax Credit homes can also be certified. Builder receives a $2000 tax credit for each home)
• (There is also a existing home program called Home Performance with Energy Star that can allow your customers to receive low interest loans from the state of Idaho or Energy Improvement Mortgages from many lending company’s.)

Your customers will:

• Save money on energy costs for years to come
• Have a more comfortable indoor environment with even temperatures from room-to-room
• Contribute to a healthier natural environment and help reduce global warming
• Be eligible for Energy Efficient Mortgages
• Benefits from healthier indoor air resulting from performance-tested duct work and improved more controlled ventilation.
• Have peace of mind knowing their home has been certified by an independent third party
• Have a home that appraises higher then standard code home & a better Resale value

READY TO JOIN ENERGY STAR?

1. There is no cost to partner with EPA’s Energy Star or to use the programs promotional materials.
2. Here’s the partnership process for builders:
3. Fill out partnership agreement.
4. Work with a local Home Energy Rater(EarthsaversO2) to ensure that your homes are designed and built to meet NORTHWEST ENERGY STAR prescriptive path and guidelines.
5. Have your homes inspected, tested & certified by your Home Energy Rater(EarthsaversO2)

TO LEARN MORE CALL: 208-743-2132 or email brook@earthsaverso2.com

Our company will work with Builder in Lewiston, Moscow Idaho & also Clarkston, Pullman Washington. We will also work with builders in the surrounding areas.

          

Bellow are good reasons why to have a home inspection done.

Common Home Problems and Solutions

Courtesy of www.energystar.gov

 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:                                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 (202) 586-4940                                                           Monday, October 19, 2009

 Vice President Biden Unveils Report Focused on Expanding Green Jobs And Energy Savings For Middle Class Families

  - Vice President Biden today unveiled Recovery Through Retrofit, a report that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient.  Joining the Vice President today were Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy; Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor; Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Karen Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

  At a Middle Class Task Force meeting earlier this year, the Vice President asked the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to develop a proposal for Federal action to lay the groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. In response, CEQ facilitated a broad interagency process with the Office of the Vice President, eleven Departments and Agencies and six White House Offices to develop recommendations for how to use existing authority and funding to accomplish this goal.  These recommendations are described in detail in the Recovery Through Retrofit Report. 

 “Recovery Through Retrofit is a blueprint that will create good green jobs – jobs that can’t be outsourced, and jobs that will be the cornerstones of a 21st-Century economy,” said Vice President Biden.

 “And, thanks to the Recovery Act’s unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, we are making it easier for American families to retrofit their homes – helping them save money while reducing carbon emissions and creating a healthier environment for our families.”

 “This report builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job and business opportunities for the middle class while ensuring that the energy efficiency market will thrive for years to come,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

 “An aggressive program to retrofit American homes and businesses will create more work, more savings, and better health for middle class Americans.”

 Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually.  Retrofitting existing homes also has the potential to cut home energy bills by $21 billion annually.  Yet, despite the real energy cost savings and environmental benefits associated with improving home energy efficiency, a series of barriers have prevented a self-sustaining retrofit market from forming.  These barriers include a lack of access to information, financing and skilled workers. 

 The recommendations and actions in this Report have been carefully designed to help overcome these barriers and to leverage Recovery Act funding to help ensure that the energy efficiency market will thrive long after the Recovery Act money is fully spent.  

 Some recommendations in the report include:

 *        Provide American Homeowners with Straightforward and Reliable

Home Energy Retrofit Information:  Consumers need consistent, accessible, and trusted information that provides a reliable benchmark of energy efficiency and sound estimates of the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits.  

 *        Reduce High Upfront Costs, Making Energy Retrofits More

 Accessible:  Access to retrofit financing should be more transparent, more accessible, repayable over a longer time period, and more consumer-friendly. 

 *        Establish National Workforce Certifications and Training

 Standards:  A uniform set of national standards to qualify energy efficiency and retrofit workers and industry training providers will establish the foundation of consumer confidence that work will be completed correctly and produce the expected energy savings and benefits.  Such standards should incorporate healthy and environmentally friendly housing principles, as outlined in the report titled, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes (2009).

 Proper certification and training standards will ensure that retrofitted homes are healthy homes.  Consistent high-level national standards will spur the utilization of qualified training providers that offer career-track programs for people of all skill levels, promote and expand green jobs opportunities and facilitate the mobilization of a national home retrofit workforce.

 To read the full report and recommendations, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf 

 “As Secretary of Labor I’m working to help build the clean energy economy of tomorrow by investing in our workers today,” said Secretary Solis “Training for green jobs can empower workers to climb the career ladder, sustain a family and provide a secure retirement. Through Recovery through Retrofit, we’re committing to meet the needs of workers, employers and homeowners, so we can shape our clean energy future into one that supports working families and is inclusive of the diversity of our nation.”

 “I am proud to join my colleagues today in announcing Recovery through Retrofit,” said Secretary Donovan. “It will allow us to work closely together to remove barriers to creating more energy efficient homes for American families.  This initiative will not only lead to cost savings for homeowners and reduce negative environmental impact, but will also be a powerful vehicle for economic recovery by creating quality middle class jobs and lasting neighborhood benefits. This is another demonstration of HUD’s commitment to creating jobs for the new economy in high growth industries by encouraging and investing in “green” building and energy retrofits.”

 “This initiative will not only result in considerable cost savings for homeowners on their energy bills, but also put resources in the hands of green sector small businesses who will in turn create good-paying jobs in communities across the country,” said SBA Administrator Mills.

 EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who was unable to attend this event due to travel added, “This is the Recovery Act at work.  Communities will benefit from good jobs, families will benefit from lower energy bills, and we will all benefit from reduced air pollution and a growing green economy. Our Energy Star program can help families cut up to 30% off their energy bills — saving the average household more than $700 a year through efficiency investments.  EPA is proud to be working with all of our partners to help people save money when they need it the most, and build a new foundation for prosperity through a growing green economy.”

 The Department of Energy today also announced $454 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency efforts nationwide.

 The Department is now accepting applications for a new $390 million “Retrofit Ramp-Up” program that will deploy innovative approaches to energy efficiency building retrofits. These Recovery Act funds will help create new partnerships to deliver energy bill savings to entire neighborhoods and towns.  Bringing energy retrofits to whole neighborhoods at a time will simplify the process for homeowners and significantly reduce costs. When applied on a national scale, the program could save billions of dollars annually in utility bills for households and businesses and create thousands of jobs across the country. In addition, the Energy Department announced $64 million in energy efficiency funding for cities, counties, and Indian tribes.

 “The Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative is designed to slice through the barriers identified in this report – inconvenience, lack of information, and lack of financing – and to make energy efficiency easy and accessible to all,” said Secretary Chu.  “We want to make our communities more energy efficient, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood — eventually expanding to entire cities and states.  We can literally bring energy efficiency to the doorsteps of the American people.”

 Separately, the Department of Energy will accept state proposals to use State Energy Grant or Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funds for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) pilots.  This is an innovative model which allows communities to provide financing to homeowners to install renewable energy systems and retrofit buildings that can be paid off over time on their property tax bills.  Today, the White House is announcing a “Policy Framework for PACE Financing Programs” developed through an interagency process to ensure that effective homeowner and lender safeguards are included in PACE programs.

 

 

-DOE-