Any idea what Home Star is? Yeah…. probably read about it in the news lately. But do you really know what it is about and how it could positively affect your pocket book during your next remodeling project? Let’s take a closer look:
From the Home Star Website: “HOME STAR is proposed new legislation to create jobs in existing industries by providing strong short-term incentives for energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings. The program will move quickly, with a minimum of red tape, and will act as a bridge to long-term market development of existing industries. This initiative establishes a $6 billion rebate program to encourage immediate investment in energy-efficient appliances, building mechanical systems and insulation, and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits. HOME STAR will rapidly create jobs in both construction and manufacturing, while saving families money on their energy bills. It will build on current state programs and existing industry capacity for performing both retrofits and quality assurance, using federal standards and incentives as a common platform to lower program costs and increase consumer awareness.” – This is an excerpt from the Home Star website, but let me put this in very clear terms for you:
You remodel your home, you make it more energy efficient = Uncle Same gives you money back!
Well, it’s not quite as simple as that. You have to follow certain rules to qualify for the rebates and there are two paths you can follow to qualify for the rebates, the Silver Star and the Gold Star path. For more detailed information on the rebate paths, check out the Home Star Coalition website. If you want to find out more about how your next remodeling project can get some money back from Uncle Same, check out the resource links below. One that I find specifically informative is a summary by Houston Neal – Cash for Caulkers – The Definitive Guide To The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. It details all the rebates and requirements. Check out his article, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Other sources:
Written by Marc Kleinmann
Principal / Lead Project Manager
EGC Custom Homes