There are nearly 130 million homes in the U.S. which combined generate more than 20% of our nation’s carbon dioxide emissions. Weatherizing homes through energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce home energy use by 40 percent per home, while lowering greenhouse has emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually by 2020. Retrofitting also affects the bottom line, reducing home energy bills by $21 billion annually.
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These are some of the conclusions reached in the recently published “Recovery Through Retrofit” report issued by the Middle Class Task Force and the White House Council on Environmental Quality as directed by the office of the Vice President of the U.S. The document, which was released last month, summarizes the many economic and environmental benefits of home energy efficiency retrofits, as well as the market and non-market barriers that have prevented the home retrofit market from taking root on a national scale.
Some of the barriers identified by the report’s authors include:
• Lack of reliable home retrofitting information available to consumers. The report’s authors recommend creating an “Energy Star” label for homeowners that spell out the costs and benefits of a home energy retrofit.
• The cost of home retrofit projects are beyond the average homeowner’s budget. A solution is making homeowners aware of sources of financing/lending, such as the State Energy Program (SEP).
• Lack of skilled workers and green entrepreneurs who can expand retrofit programs on a national scale. The development of training programs and certification can help create a skilled green workforce.
To read the full report, download “Recovery Through Retrofit” here.
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