Comments on: Energy Secretary Steven Chu on home weatherization: Saving money by saving energy

By: Hubie

Hubie — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:05:07 +0000

Though not well defined the weatherization program is a great idea. But why not make it much easier and increase the parameters of the existing Federal Tax credits for weatherization. They are now 30% of the cost of materials up to a $1,500 maximum for improvements to the homes envelope. Change that to 50% of materials for do-it-yourselfers and 50% of total project cost (including labor) for thosee hiring professionals. Change the maximum to $3,000 and $6,000 respectively. Home Despot will see increased business and the small companies that do Home Performance work will be hiring new employees.

By: Scott Zimmermann

Scott Zimmermann — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:43:31 +0000

I have personally worked with customers taking advantage of the Recovery Act tax credits and the “Retrofit Ramp Up”. To a one, they are excited and very appreciative that these steps were offered to them to improve the efficiency of their homes. Some were already going to replace their windows, but decided to complete the house instead of 1/2 of the windows. Other customers have initiated the process due to the tax incentives and programs available to them.

By: Leif

Leif — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:03:11 +0000

Back in my farm boy youth we always “white washed” the chicken coop roofs which made a significant difference in the coop temperature. Often the difference between life and death for chickens. With modern technology I am sure there is a much better painting solution than white wash, which, if memory serves me correct, was just water and lime that we mixed in LARGE batches. A problem with that was that it did not last that long and needed to be freshened up yearly or perhaps longer. It was cheap however.

By: Cait

Cait — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:39:22 +0000

The UK desperately needs to do this kinds of thing. It offers grants for insulation, but it’s all very opaque and difficult to actually apply for.

I’m just wondering whether local teams of ‘weatherisation’ helpers / volunteers could also help people by completing audits for people pointing out everything – from the small things to the big expensive things that they could do to act.

Do you have any volunteer groups doing anything like that over there? Part of the Green Jobs initiatives?

…just wondering about how something like that could be pursued in the UK… Hmmm…

By: Mark Shapiro

Mark Shapiro — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:38:02 +0000

Any consumer concerned about her energy bills can lower them forever with efficiency and conservation measures that are available to every citizen, to every human being.

Every consumer has tools to protect them from rising energy costs.

We need to hammer this point every time we discuss energy and the economy, every time the deniers, the delayers, and the levitts claim that we are raising costs for consumers, that we are squeezing the middle class. Remind every reader, at every point, that we want the middle class pay less – much less – for energy simply by wasting less.

By: Leif

Leif — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:47:41 +0000

Rabid Doomsayer, #5. Good point however if we used the advertising media to get the money savings across
you might be on to something. Steven Chu also wants the white roofs to make up for some of the reflection we are loosing from the Artic ice loss. A two-for. After all the advertising media can even convince people to do things against their best interest. It should be a no-brainer for them.

By: Rabid Doomsayer

Rabid Doomsayer — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:11:46 +0000

Why are we still building houses with black roofs in hot climates? Are we likely to undertake that much energy saving that has a cost when we won’t even use the no cost options?

While I hate governments breathing down my neck telling me do this, don’t do that, we can be incredibly stupid and need some regulation.

Joe, I don’t know how you keep up your optimism.

By: Maija

Maija — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:58:17 +0000

This is the type of policymaking America desperately needs. It is forward thinking, environmentally friendly, practical, financially feasible and creates local, non-exportable jobs. Great stuff.

By: David Lewis

David Lewis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:10:40 +0000

To make the payback of ten years more palatable to you, Chu is advocating attaching the financing to the property tax bill. Paragraph 10, above. Your overall cost of home operation immediately declines because your utility bill goes down more than the tax bill goes up. Your responsibility for paying for the improvements ends if you sell your home during the payback period. It remains to be seen what the effect on the selling price of a home is if its property taxes are higher, even if its overall cost of operation including taxes is lower, because, duh, buyers are allergic to the “tax” word.

Give the man credit: he has done the math. If he could do what he wanted, the price of emitting carbon would be high enough to drive CO2 emissions out of the economy. Study the guy. People who think Obama has done Jack Squat wouldn’t be able to understand the difference between Chu and anyone else who has ever headed the DOE.

By: Wes Rolley

Wes Rolley — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:43:02 +0000

Secretary Chu has the right idea. There are times, however, when you just have to do the math. We purchased our home in the mid-1970's. It has 21 energy ducts called single-pane, aluminum framed, 48 x 72 in windows. We have a total annual energy bill of $1,526. Were we to replace all of the windows, and were that to save 100% of our energy costs, it would still take at least a decade to recover the investment. This type of retrofit has to be tied to other remodeling efforts, similar to the Architecture 2030 plans. If you don't make energy efficiency improvements, you don't get the building permit.