Efficiency First

Yesterday The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an editorial by WellHome president Larry Laseter that began: “We are closer than ever to moving the needle in an area where we could and should be more independent — consumer energy savings.”

Laseter was referring, of course, to the HOME STAR legislation now pending in the Senate as part of the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010. Laseter’s article goes on to lay out the fundamental logic behind the HOME STAR initiative, emphasizing that “Home Star will put an estimated 168,000 skilled Americans back to work in the hardest-hit part of our economy — construction — and drive increased demand for manufactured products and building materials that are almost universally made in the U.S., supporting further job growth and economic impact.”

Laseter also emphasizes that timing is crucial, as American consumers wait for the proposed rebates and financing opportunities to take effect:

Our own customer data shows that since the legislation was first introduced back in November 2009, twice as many homeowners are delaying energy retrofit work in anticipation of the Home Star incentives. At the same time, many middle-class Americans are squeezed by the economy and credit crisis, which makes efficiency improvements a difficult investment to make. But make no mistake. Home Energy retrofits are a good investment!

Read the full article at www.ajc.com/opinion/a-chance-to-move-580599.html.

In an appearance yesterday on E&ETV’s daily interview program OnPoint, Kate Offringa, president and CEO of the Council of the North American Association of Insulation Manufacturers, made a convincing case for immediate passage of the HOME STAR legislation now pending in Congress. Offringa emphasized that:

Forty percent of all the energy that we use in this country is consumed in buildings and I’m not sure that that’s something that the general public is aware of, but we use more energy to heat, cool, and light buildings than we do in the transportation sector or any other sector. So, in terms of energy policy, addressing energy use in buildings is critical to our energy future as a country. What’s also important about the Home Star bill, which has received bipartisan support, as you know, in both the House and Senate, is the job creation angle. It’s going to create at least 168,000 jobs in an industry that’s been flat on its back for more than two years.

And when asked if contractors are ready to hit the ground running after HOME STAR is signed into law, she replied:

Thirty days after this bill has been signed by President Obama we’ll be ready to have people installing insulation in homes across the country. Insulation installers have had to lay off 30 to 40 percent of their workforce over the last year or two. So it’s not a matter of looking for people and training people to put them into this trade. It’s a matter of putting this trade back together with people who are out of work.

Watch the full interview here: www.eenews.net/tv/video_guide/1196

Obama – “Brian Bovio’s company had to let some people go when the recession hit.  But in the two years since, he’s transformed his business, and now he’s making people’s homes more energy efficient to save money on their utility bills — and he’s been able to start hiring again.  He is very interested in making sure that the HOMESTAR proposal that we’ve put into Congress actually passes, because not only will that help to expand his business but it’s also going to help Americans save energy not only in this part of the country but all across the country.”

Full remarks from the President:
 
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                              July 28, 2010
 
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON SMALL BUSINESS JOBS INITIATIVES
 
Tastee Sub Shop
Edison, New Jersey
 
2:42 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I just had a terrific meeting with these small business owners here at Tastee Sub Shop.  And I want to thank Dave and Carl for hosting us here today.  And I highly recommend everybody buy a sandwich while you’re here, although as I said before, I can’t eat a 12-inch these days, now that I’m 49 — well, I will be in a week.
 
We talked about some of the difficulties that people have had making payroll and turning a profit during this recession.  And we talked about what we can do to make it easier for small businesses to grow. 
 
All of these folks here know why that’s important.  Small businesses create two out of every three jobs in this country.  So our recovery depends on them.  And if we want to keep America moving forward, we need to keep investing in our small businesses. 
 
This is, by the way, more than — is more important than just our economy.  It’s also about who we are as a people.  Because America has always been a place where if you’ve had a good idea and you’re willing to really work hard for it, you can see it through and you can succeed.  That’s what gives the worker the courage to leave her job to become her own boss.  It’s what propels people to risk their savings on an idea that they believe might just change the world.  I was hearing from Tom here about how he was having trouble finding work 30, 40 years ago, and decided that he would take over a business that only had two employees.  And now he’s an employer for a whole bunch of folks and he’s going to be passing on his business to his family.  And that’s the American story.
 
 
This town, Edison, is named after somebody who was not only one of history’s greatest inventors but also a pretty savvy small business owner.  And the small business people who are here with me today exemplify that same entrepreneurial spirit.  And all of these companies have seen their share of challenges.  All of these small business owners have had to improvise and adapt over the years, especially in tough times, and that includes over the last couple years.
 
So Tom and Catherine Horsburgh were telling me that they got through the downturn.  In order to do so, they had to market their products to types of businesses that they hadn’t sold to before.  Brian Bovio’s company had to let some people go when the recession hit.  But in the two years since, he’s transformed his business, and now he’s making people’s homes more energy efficient to save money on their utility bills — and he’s been able to start hiring again.  He is very interested in making sure that the HOMESTAR proposal that we’ve put into Congress actually passes, because not only will that help to expand his business but it’s also going to help Americans save energy not only in this part of the country but all across the country.
 
Now, all of this hasn’t been easy.  The recession has meant that folks are spending less.  It means that small businesses have had a tougher time getting credit and getting loans.  And that’s why when I took office, we put in place an economic plan specifically to help small businesses.  And we were guided by a simple idea:  Government can’t guarantee success, but it can knock down barriers that keep entrepreneurs from opening or expanding.  For example, the lack of affordable credit — that’s something the government can do something about.  Government can’t replace the millions of jobs that we lost in the recession, but it can create the conditions for small businesses to hire more people through steps like tax breaks. 
 
That’s why we’ve cut taxes for America’s small businesses eight times.  Eight times have we cut taxes for small businesses all across the country.  Because of a bill I signed into law a few months ago, businesses are now eligible for tax cuts when they hire unemployed workers — something that could benefit every business represented behind me.  Companies are also able to write off more of their investments in new equipment, which Tom and Catherine have taken advantage of.  As part of the health reform package, 4 million small business owners recently received a postcard in their mailbox telling them that this year they could be eligible for a health care tax credit that’s worth perhaps tens of thousands of dollars. 
 
And I was just talking to Dave, who does the right thing by his employees and is providing health insurance — they actually are not paying a significant share for that health insurance.  Dave and Carl are doing the right thing by those workers.  He’s now going to be eligible to potentially get up to 35 percent tax relief on those — premium that he’s paying, and that could make, obviously, an enormous difference in terms of his bottom line and may mean that he can hire some additional workers.
 
Our economic plan has also supported nearly 70,000 new loans to small businesses.  One of these loans made it possible for Tom and Catherine to purchase new equipment.  We’ve waived fees on new SBA loans to save folks money on payments.  And that reduced Theo’s costs when he opened his new restaurant.  His family had a business, a family restaurant.  He opened his own and it saved him more than $20,000 in waived fees — money that’s now gone into that new restaurant and its 60 new employees. 
 
So all told, these and other steps are making a difference.  But when you listen to the struggles that small business owners are still facing, it’s clear that we need to do more.  And that’s why I’m urging the Senate to approve a jobs bill that will do two big things for small businesses:  cut taxes and make more loans available.  That’s what Dave and Carl and Theo and Brian and Tom and Catherine tell me they can use.  And that’s what I’ve heard from small businesses all across America.
 
     If this bill becomes law, small businesses and start-ups will see the positive benefits right away.  It eliminates capital gains taxes for key investments in small firms.  It will increase the deductions that small businesses can take for new equipment and other expenses.  I know Tom and Catherine are looking at expanding to a larger facility; this could help them do that.
 
This bill will also make more credit available.  Everywhere I go, I hear from small business owners who simply cannot get the credit they need to hire and expand.  And we’ve been hearing from smaller community banks that they want to lend to these folks but need more capital to do it.  So the initiatives in this bill will help them meet those challenges.  And it will increase — allow them to increase loan sizes, and make sure that we continue to waive fees for SBA loans that have helped a number of the people standing behind me.
 
Now, let me just make one last point.  I know it’s no secret that we’ve confronted a lot of partisan politics over the past year and a half.  We’ve seen a fair amount of obstruction that’s had more to do with gaining political advantage than helping the country.  But surely, Democrats and Republicans ought to be able to agree on this bill.  When I had a conversation with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner yesterday, I told them that the provisions of this bill are things that the Republican Party has said it’s supported for years:  helping small businesses, cutting taxes, making credit available.  This is as American as apple pie.  Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.  They are central to our identity as a nation.  They are going to lead this recovery.  The folks standing beside me are going to lead this recovery.
 
So as I said yesterday in a meeting with congressional leaders at the White House, I expect us to get this done before they go on vacation, for the folks standing behind me and for small businesses and their employees all across the country.
 
All right?  Thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you, guys.
 
                        END           2:50 P.M. EDT

The HOME STAR Coalition continues to grow over — 1,000 new members in July, with a total greater than 2,600 and climbing.

If you have not yet joined the Coalition, it is free: www.homestarcoalition.org/join.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jeff Lambert or Tara Powers
Lambert, Edwards & Associates
616-233-0500   tpowers@lambert-edwards.com

HOME STAR Coalition Applauds Senate for Inclusion of the bi-partisan HOME STAR Legislation in The Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act

HOME STAR Coalition urges swift action by Congress and The Administration as coalition supporters grows to over 2,600 

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 28, 2010 – The HOME STAR Coalition, a broad-based and diverse group of small and medium sized businesses and nationally recognized companies, labor and environmental organizations and associations, today applauded the inclusion of the HOME STAR legislation in The Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act. The Home Star Coalition is joining Senate leadership for a press conference today to discuss the bill and the critical need for HOME STAR.

“I’m honored to represent the more than 2,600 members of the HOME STAR Coalition and the millions of families across America that will benefit from this important bi-partisan legislation,” said WellHome President Larry Laseter, who is representing the HOME STAR Coalition at the press conference with Senate leadership today.  “HOME STAR is good policy, but even better practicality in its ability to deliver a triple win for America – it creates clean energy jobs for our nation’s skilled construction workers and at U.S. manufacturing facilities, it benefits homeowners through comfort and energy efficient improvements to their homes, and it helps the environment through long-term energy efficiency gains.”

The HOME STAR Coalition also announced its membership increased to over 2,600, the majority of which are small and medium sized businesses and organizations from every state in the country who stand in support of HOME STAR and its widespread benefits for job creation, savings for homeowners, and energy efficiency.  To view the complete list of HOME STAR Coalition supporters go herehttp://www.homestarcoalition.org/supporters.html

“I am a second-generation insulation contractor with branch operations in Arizona, Nevada and California,” said Insulation Contractors Association of America (ICAA) President Jeff Banker, of Banker Insulation in Phoenix Arizona.  “Passage of the HOME STAR legislation would enable our family-owned business to hire contractors in all of our locations.  I urge the Senate to please help small businesses across America by passing HOME STAR.”

The HOME STAR legislation, which passed the House in May, has bi-partisan support and over 30 co-sponsors in the Senate.  HOME STAR also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

HOME STAR is a market-driven, low-bureaucracy program that would create jobs fast by scaling the existing home energy efficiency improvement industry.  Consumers nationwide would embrace HOME STAR because it will be simple, accessible, and help them save money.

For more information about HOME STAR and the HOME STAR Coalition visit www.homestarcoalition.org.

The full text of the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010 introduced today in the Senate is now available online, with the HOME STAR retrofit program described in sections 3001 through 3016. The bill stipulates that $5 billion in Treasury funds should be allocated to the program as of Oct. 1, 2010, including funds for consumer rebates, energy improvement financing and quality assurance. Passage of this important legislation will mark a major step forward for the Home Performance industry, and for tens of thousands of hardworking Americans who have been idled by the ongoing crisis in construction and construction-related manufacturing.

Download a PDF of the legislation here.

Efficiency First Government Affairs Director Kara Rinaldi along with 2 contractors and additional representatives of the HOME STAR Coalition visited all 100 Senate offices today in advance of HOME STAR coming to the Senate floor. The group made themselves available to Senate staff in order to answer any last minute questions.

This tops off 287 individual meetings with U.S. Senate offices advocating for the HOME STAR program.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement today to introduce the clean energy jobs and oil spill response plan that Senate Democrats announced last week:

Families in Nevada and across America want us to create dependable jobs that cannot be outsourced, lessen our dependence on oil, protect our environment and hold BP accountable for the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The plan that we are introducing today accomplishes these goals through bipartisan ideas.

Our plan will lower energy costs for homeowners and create at least 150,000 jobs by investing $5 billion in Home Star, a bipartisan energy efficiency program. Our plan will lessen our dependence on oil by promoting the manufacturing and deployment of clean vehicles that use natural gas and electricity.  Our plan will help protect environmentally important and vulnerable areas by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the next 5 years for the first time.  And our plan will hold BP and all the oil companies involved in the Gulf Coast oil spill fully accountable for the true costs of the damages they caused.  We are making it crystal clear that polluters, not taxpayers, will be held responsible for cleaning up and paying for the damages caused by their negligence.

This bill does not address every issue of importance to our nation’s energy challenges, and we have to continue to work to find bipartisan agreement on a comprehensive bill to help reduce pollution and deal with the very real threat that global warming poses.  But this is a good bill that deserves bipartisan support, and continues us along the path toward a clean energy future.

Senate aides have circulated a 24-page draft summary of the bill pending release of the full legislative text, which is expected later today.

Your phone calls, E-mails and district meetings are working. As HOME STAR is days away from going to a vote we are happy to announce 31 co-sponsors.

• Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM-D] * Lead sponsor
• Sen Begich, Mark [AK-D]
• Sen Brown, Scott P. [MA-R]
• Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH-D]
• Sen Burris, Roland [IL-D]
• Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA-D]
• Sen Cardin, Benjamin [MD-D]
• Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE-D]
• Sen Durbin, Richard [IL-D, Assistant Majority Leader]
• Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT-D]
• Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY-D]
• Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC-R]
• Sen Harkin, Tom [IA-D]
• Sen Kaufman, Edward [DE-D]
• Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN-D]
• Sen Lautenberg, Frank [NJ-D]
• Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT-D]
• Sen Robert Menendez [NJ-D]
• Sen Merkley, Jeff [OR-D]
• Sen Murray, Patty [WA-D]
• Sen Mikulski, Barbara [MD-D]
• Sen Pryor, Mark L. [AR-D]
• Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT-I]
• Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY-D]
• Sen Shaheen, Jeanne [NH-D]
• Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME-R]
• Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI-D]
• Sen Specter, Arlen [PA-D]
• Sen Warner, Mark R. [VA-D]
• Sen Webb, Jim [VA-D]
• Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI-D]

As HOME STAR moves to the Senate floor we have immediately gained two new Senators. Keep up the grassroots effort.

Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [NH-D]

Sen. Robert Menendez [NJ-D]

Previous Sponsors

• Sen Begich, Mark [AK-D]
• Sen Brown, Scott P. [MA-R]
• Sen Brown, Sherrod (OH-D)
• Sen Burris, Roland [IL-D]
• Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA-D]
• Sen Cardin, Benjamin [MD-D]
• Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE-D]
• Sen Durbin, Richard [IL-D, Assistant Majority Leader]
• Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT-D]
• Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY-D]
• Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC-R]
• Sen Harkin, Tom [IA-D]
• Sen. Kaufman, Edward (DE-D)
• Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN-D]
• Sen. Lautenberg, Frank (NJ-D) *submitted paperwork
• Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT-D]
• Sen Merkley, Jeff [OR-D]
• Sen. Mikulski, Barbara (MD-D)
• Sen Pryor, Mark L. [AR-D]
• Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT-I]
• Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY-D]
• Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME-R]
• Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI-D]
• Sen Specter, Arlen [PA-D] *submitted paperwork
• Sen Warner, Mark R. [VA-D]
• Sen Webb, Jim [VA-D]
• Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI-D]