Efficiency First

In a speech delivered today at Savannah Technical College in Savannah, Ga., President Barack Obama made a strong case for consumer incentives targeting home energy efficiency improvements, and encouraged Congress to pass legislation authorizing the HOME STAR incentive program.

The President provided details about the proposed HOME STAR efficiency retrofit incentives, which would award homeowners up to $1,500 for specific efficiency upgrades, and up to $3,000 for whole-home retrofit projects designed to reduce energy waste by 20 percent or more.

Before delivering his remarks, the President toured Savannah Tech classrooms where students are learning what he described as “skills that will help our country transform the way we use energy in the future,” including HVAC and insulation trades and solar power installation.

Citing the fact that the majority of building materials used in efficiency retrofit work are “almost exclusively manufactured right here in the United States of America,” Obama also emphasized that HOME STAR will benefit American manufacturers and retailers as well as the hands-on construction workers who perform the work.

Update: A transcript of the President’s remarks has been posted online at whitehouse.gov. A few highlights:

I’m convinced that the country that leads in clean energy is also going to be the country that leads in the global economy.  And I want America to be that nation.  I don’t want us to be second place or third place or fourth place when it comes to the new energy technologies; I want us to be in first.

Regarding the job creation potential of HOME STAR:

So the fact is that there’s nearly 25 percent unemployment in the construction industry so far, so construction companies, hardware stores, contractors, manufacturers — they faced a rapid decline in demand in the wake of the mortgage crisis.  And to make matters worse, these businesses have seen the same decline in credit that has hurt every sector of our economy.

So these are companies ready to take on new customers; they’re workers eager to do new installations and renovations; factories ready to produce new building supplies.  All we’ve got to do is create the incentives to make it happen.  And this is not a Democratic idea or a Republican idea; this is a common-sense approach that will help jumpstart job creation while making our economy stronger.

And in closing:

I am confident that we can do it.  Savannah Tech is leading the way; a whole bunch of folks in this room are leading the way; and I just hope that Washington stands alongside you in making sure that we’ve got the kind of energy future that we need.

Read the full transcript here:
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-energy-efficiency-savannah-georgia