Consumer Reports: March 26, 2010

$6 billion Homestar energy-efficiency proposal gets over one legislative hurdle The bill for the Obama administration’s $6 billion Homestar energy-efficiency program, or cash for caulkers, was approved by the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment this week. Under the Homestar proposal, homeowners would receive a 50 percent rebate up to $3,000 for a specific energy-efficiency improvement—adding insulation; sealing ducts; installing efficient windows, roofing, or heating or cooling equipment—and a 20 percent rebate up to $3,000 for a whole-house energy-efficiency upgrade. Much of the subcommittee discussion on Homestar centered on spending. Republicans wanted to set a $1 billion cap, which “would be adequate to see how this program performs,” Representative Parker Griffith, an Alabama Republican, told E&E News. The subcommittee agreed to a $6 billion cap for cash for caulkers, though Republicans did succeed in adding an amendment to grant rebates for geothermal heat pumps and tankless water heaters. —Daniel DiClerico