CleanEdison

The Home Star energy retrofit Act was approved by the US Congress on May 6^th 2010. Also known as the Home Star Energy program, this bill proposes to provide rebates of six billion dollars to American home owners for making their homes energy efficient by taking up the necessary home improvement works. This means that ordinary citizens can now get rebates for making their homes energy efficient. These rebates are paid at different levels to the home owner.

This bill is seen by many as an effort to tackle the growing unemployment rates. According to the American President, this bill is a common sense bill that will help in creating new jobs for skilled American workers and at the same time helps the American home owners save some money by making the necessary energy efficient home improvements. What this bill has done is it has created potential job opportunities for American workers wanting to take up home installations and renovations.

The Home Star Energy Program will fund rebates of up to three thousand dollars for making some basic home improvements. This means that you can now make home improvements like replacing your windows, doors, heating and cooling systems, sidings, roofing and other such changes. For instance you can get up to two hundred and fifty dollars when you buy insulation products and air sealing products. Likewise, you can now get up to three thousand dollars in rebates for making up the necessary home improvement changes.

The second phase involves providing rebates for taking up comprehensive home improvement plans. This means undertaking a complete home energy audit and bringing down energy consumption by twenty percent will entitle you to rebates of up to eight thousand dollars. According to a few experts this bill will ensure that you are reimbursed up to eight thousand dollars for making the necessary home energy changes.

LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This is a certification that is given to those buildings that have stringent building norms. A LEED Certification is considered to be one of the most coveted certifications in the world and is eagerly awaited in the building as well as the construction industry. This certification is given to those individuals and firms that are able to develop and create new and innovative ways of maintaining the environmental dignity of the building. You can demonstrate this innovativeness in energy consumption, water savings, improving the internal circulation of air in a building and also finding ways and means to decrease the carbon emissions.

Since a LEED Certification is given to green and environment friendly buildings, this certificate has a lot of relevance and value to a builder. It is this certification that adds a lot of value as people will be able to make a judgment based on quality of your buildings set against a benchmark. This certification works equally well in case of companies and firms.

In the case of individuals, a LEED Certification is as much coveted as it is in the case of others. This certification is ideal for those seeking to pursue a long term career in the building and construction industry. For instance there are many people who are enrolling into this certification program in order to become a certified footballer.

There are three levels for getting a LEED Certification.  Under level one, you need to qualify in the LEED GA or Green Associate Exam. Similarly, you have the LEED AP Exams which is a course designed for people seeking a job in many of the websites. The final level is the LEED Fellow which is a certification program that indicates that you have achieved a certain level of expertise on the various aspects of LEED Certification.

Most nations across the globe are nowadays focusing on energy efficiency so as to maintain a cleaner and greener environment. In the US, the law makers have recently passed the cash for caulkers program or the Home Star Energy bill. The passing of this bill has raised visions for alternate energy sources like solar energy, wind energy and other such energy resources. With this bill the federal government hopes to bring down the over dependence on oil and other such energy fuels.

This bill is also known as the cash for caulkers program and it specifically focuses on American home owners. This bill rewards American home owners for taking energy efficient decisions for their homes. This means that American home owners can now get rebates for making changes to their homes in order to make it more energy efficient. By encouraging home owners to make efficient home improvements, this bill hopes to cover more than five million American homes thereby reducing American carbon footprints to a very large extent.

The cash for caulkers program actually works at different levels. At one level it addresses the serious issue of carbon footprints. At another level it involves American home owners for making energy efficient home improvements in order to reduce the carbon footprints. Further, this bill also helps in reviving the building and construction industry. By focusing on the American homeowners this bill has opened up the market for the home improvement manufacturers. By involving all the stake holders the government hopes to revive the sagging economy and provide employment and business opportunities for the American citizens.

This bill envisages offering rebates at points of sale. This means that you will get a cash rebate every time you make an energy efficient purchase from a manufacturer, retailer, energy inspectors, consultants and others. As a home owner you can now get rebates of up to one thousand five hundred dollars for making basic improvements to your home and up to eight thousand dollars if you go in for a complete energy retro fit of your homes.

Home owners, get energy upgrades done for your homes and be paid for doing it by the federal government. Well, this is what you will get with the passage of the Home Star Energy Bill.  Otherwise known as the cash for caulkers, this bill will provide rebates for those home owners who get energy upgrades done for their homes.

Speaking soon after the bill was passed by the House; President Obama termed it as a ‘common sense’ bill which will help create jobs and save money for the home owners and also help in reviving the economy.

The voting on the bill went through in the House according to expected party lines. The bill was passed with a majority of 246 to 161. What this vote does is, it authorizes the President to implement the program in principle but as of now has not allocated any funds for it. The wise old men of the House would be meeting once again during the summer and discuss ways and means to fund the Home Star Energy Bill.

This bill affects three major stake holders. Namely: the ordinary American home owners, the building construction industry, the nascent energy industry and the skilled workforce.

For the ordinary home owners, this bill provides rebates at two levels for undertaking home energy upgrades. In the first level, you will get rebates to the tune of three thousand dollars for making home improvements. You will now get rebates for replacing your doors, windows, upgrading the heating and cooling systems, take new insulation measures to block energy leakages. For example, on purchase of insulation and air sealing products, you can now claim a rebate of two hundred and fifty dollars.

The Home Star Energy Bill offers very good rebates for those American home owners who get a comprehensive home audit done and work towards saving at least 20% on energy costs. For such home owners, the bill will allow for a rebate of up to eight thousand dollars. If you are able to save more than 20% on energy costs, you become eligible for more rebates under the provisions of this bill. This means, more the energy you save, the more rebates you get.

According to some experts, there are more than five million American homes that are in need of energy upgrades. This means that there is a huge opportunity for the building and construction professionals to cash in on. With the passage of the  Home Star Energy Program bill, the President has created a potential for the building material manufacturers, retailers, professionals to aggressively market their products and services. This in turn will create more job opportunities both in the energy sector as well as the construction industry.

Speaking after the bill was passed by the House, President Barack Obama said that there were skilled American workers out there who were ready to take up new installation works and retrofit works. He also said that the factories were ready to manufacture new energy efficient products.

The Home Star program introduced by the government aims to reward consumers with rebates on purchase of energy efficient products, so that energy efficiency is maximized in residential projects.

To scale down non renewable energy consumption, the home star energy program recommends the use of solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Are you aware that solar energy is available free of cost, and generates no waste?

Experts are of the opinion that to maximize the effectiveness of the concept, Solar Energy Training can train professionals and bring out optimum performance.

Reputed institutes and online training providers have come up with training programs which offers correct technical knowledge to complete solar projects with skill.

Solar Energy Training is targeted to create a line of professionals who can seal the future of the nation by roping in the benefits of the most powerful source of light and energy- the Sun. Pass with flying colors and get absorbed into a lucrative job market.

Companies, who want to gain an edge over others, can come forward and opt for Solar Energy Training for professionals. This would definitely help them in roping in more clients and revenue to their business.

With the recent stress on energy savings through the Home Star program, consumers are sure to make a beeline for services employing alternative sources of energy.

Solar Energy Training mainly concentrates on designing of solar electric system, installation and safety procedures. As a professional you can benefit residential projects. Solar hot water ventures are also in demand now-a-days.

Professionals from every field can avail Solar Energy training. Builders, contractors, suppliers, salespersons and investors – come one, come all and grab this grand chance to create a greener environment through this course.

Many institutes are now organizing Solar Boot camps to give intensive training to the professional through class room schedules, on-field training and special software. The system of solar electricity is laid out in detail in the courses for complete guidance on designing, fitting and safety features.

Professionals who know about photovoltaic will gain from Solar Energy Training as this touches upon the essentials of solar energy utilization.

The course also involves hands-on training to optimize residential solar energy efficiency. It covers training on wiring up different types of inverters, mounting solar panels and fixing with attachments. Techniques and procedures to tie in the utility of AC/DC disconnects and inverters are also included.

Solar Energy Training has been modeled for you into basic and advanced courses.

If you are looking for investing yourself with knowledge about Solar Energy training feel free to visit any reputed institution for guidance. Great initiative for sunny countries!

All reputed institutes offer courses in Photovoltaic designs, installation of solar panels, employing of safety features and solar marketing. With the recent developments in the energy field with Home Star Energy program, the need to tap solar energy, as an eco-friendly alternative has increased.

Go ahead and explore the amazing power of the Sun!

The Home Star Bill passed by the House launches the Cash for Caulkers program to offer rebates to those homeowners who would take part in the energy saving   agenda.

Upgrading homes with better insulation components and installing specially laminated doors and windows would save homeowners loads of money under this program.

Supported by Obama administration, the Home Star Bill also combines within its plan an idea to rejuvenate the slouching building industry and an attempt to clean the planet.

Saving money, creating jobs in the industry and improving the construction scenario-all of these visions are actualized through the Home Star Bill.

The Cash for Clunkers program launched in 2009 rewarded individuals who replaced the gas gulping vehicles with fuel friendly models. The same principles bundled in a different way takes off as the Cash for Caulkers program.

Welch said that it is a “terrific” idea as “it will put people to work immediately”.

The huge applaud and support that the Bill received has led economists to estimate that the Cash for Caulkers program would be happily embraced by millions of households and would also help in boosting the economy by saving energy costs over a certain period of time. The recession thumped building industry would also see the emergence of new jobs.

Homeowners are encouraged to caulk homes, save funds and create a friendly environment through the Cash for Caulkers program. Rebates on buying energy saving equipments from retailers would directly go to the homeowners.

The Democrats, in spite of several attempts from the Republicans to thwart the Bill, succeeded in upholding the Home Star Bill to benefit the mass and save energy.

Homeowners who readily embrace the Cash for Caulkers program to renovate their homes or add energy saving equipments to existing set up would receive special discounts or rebates at the time of purchase. The retailer would be paid by the Energy Department on the verification of information.

That is something great. As President Obama puts it across, “you’d get these rebates instantly” and there is no need to” wait for a check to arrive months later”.

To check scam, the government has made it mandatory for all participating contractors to hold license and also recommends inspection for particular projects.

The Cash for Caulkers program offers a two-year planning for homeowners who can either qualify for Silver Star rebates or Gold Star rebates.

Homeowners who install exclusive energy efficient appliances in their homes, attempt for maximizing energy efficiency through duct sealing and appoint environment friendly insulation methods and fit special doors and windows qualify for Silver Star rebates.  The maximum limit for rebates has been restricted to $3000.

Homeowners, who introduce 20% savings in energy consumption in their homes through energy audits and a broader retrofit, would be eligible for the Gold Star rebate. This rebate can be scaled up to $8000, depending on the performance of the structure.

The Cash for Caulkers program is welcome news to environmental, consumer and business groups. They strongly feel that it can create jobs, boost economy, encourage savings and boost the economy.

Watch this video for more information!

Fast Tube by Casper

The nickname for the Home Star program is the “Cash for Caulkers” program which targets to provide on-spot rebates to homeowners who invest in energy-efficient equipments to caulk their homes from energy wastage. Energy misuse is also prevented through this.

Government is ready to cater out rebates on the purchase of energy-efficient appliances like water heaters, washing machines and refrigerators and also items like specially laminated doors and windows which aim at saving energy.

President Obama advocated the Congress to approve the plan as he strongly felt that it would benefit the construction industry, rope in investments, help in saving consumer expenses, and create new jobs in the economy.

President Obama lays out the Cash for Caulkers Details with an effort “to create the incentives to make it happen”.

The program strongly recommends that consumers should go out and educate themselves on residential projects and energy saving methods to take full advantage of the plan. This way, the consumer will know what to do with the available money and how to bring about the energy efficient changes in the set up.

Cash for Caulkers Details chalk out two rebate plans for consumers. Both are incredible ways to pull in government help for upgrading the energy efficiency of homes.

If as a homeowner, you plan to renovate the energy set up of your den by investing in weatherproof laminated doors and windows or change the old heating unit, to insulate the home or caulk leakages in the system, you can avail a on-spot rebate from the retailer to cover the 50% cost of each improvement up to a limit of $1500 to $3000. This is named as the Silver Star Program.

The Gold Star Program benefits the homeowner who decides to conduct an energy audit to bring about a retrofit for the whole house and save energy in bulk. Through this he can pull in a rebate of $3000 to $8000. What should be noted is that, the rebate would be directly proportional to the percentage of energy saved in the accomplished project.

Experts are already voicing out their opinion by saying that a professional contractor should be hired to pin point the areas that need improvement, so that you can invest on the correct energy saving equipment and save funds. Maximize energy efficiency and maximum savings – definitely a great idea.

The Cash for Caulkers details echo the ideas of the 2009 “Cash for Clunkers” program which benefited vehicle owners who switched to fuel efficient models of vehicles from gas consuming ones.

Both the programs included in the Cash for Caulkers Details will enable the homeowner to abstain from taking huge loans to upgrade the energy efficient scenario in their homes.

Economists agree that the Cash for Caulkers Details would definitely have a huge impact on the economic scenario of USA. With the advantages it provides, it would bring down home energy costs, create jobs in the recession struck market and boost the economy.

by Robert Gluck

In Michigan, proposed legislation, expected to reach the state senate by spring, would offer tax breaks for new construction and building rehabilitations that achieve certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

If this happens in Michigan it can happen in other states, and if it does, the legislation opens doors for LEED-certified professionals.

The legislation will prompt developers to spend more money upfront to make their next projects LEED-certified.

Why?

Because the bill would give a tax abatement of up to 50 percent on LEED-certified construction and allow upfront costs for certain green items such as wind turbines, geothermal energy systems and underground parking to be paid with future tax revenue.

Bottom line: this legislation, if passed, will help green projects go forward that otherwise wouldn’t be green at all!

Many in the green industries want it to be the norm because it would kick-start action, growth, profits, and job creation.

Michigan is a leader in this sort of thing and one of its cities, Grand Rapids, already has a growing reputation for green buildings.

According to the American Institute of Architects, Grand Rapids has the greatest number of buildings LEED-certified per capita than any other U.S. city.

What does this mean for you???

Work, jobs, if you have the right training and the right ‘green’ credentials.

You can take the first step toward getting that training by signing up to become a LEED accredited professional.

For more information and to sign up for CleanEdison’s one day LEED Green Associate course go here : http://www.cleanedison.com

Passing the LEED Green Associate exam is your first step to becoming a LEED Accredited Professional – that opens up a lot of ‘green’ doors in your eco-smart career choices.

CleanEdison’s instructors will prep you so well that you will have excellent strategies for taking and passing the exam with flying colors.

So what are you waiting for?

Become a LEED-er today!

by Robert Gluck

In September U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced a new, whopping $450 million program designed to catalyze a nationwide energy upgrade.

Experts estimate the program could save $100 million annually in utility bills for households and businesses. 

Dubbed The Recovery Act’s “Retrofit Ramp-Up”, the program pioneers innovative models for rolling out energy efficiency to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in a variety of communities.

Much like past roll-outs for cable TV or the Internet, the Department Of Energy (DOE) intends to create models that, when undertaken nationally,  save consumers billions of dollars on their utility bills and make the huge savings of energy efficiency available to everyone.

According to Chu, energy efficiency isn’t just low-hanging fruit; it’s fruit lying on the ground.

“We have the tools to reduce energy use at home and at work and to provide huge savings to families and businesses on their energy bills.

But use of these technologies has been far too limited because we lack the simple and effective ways for people to access them,” said Chu.

Chu said the ‘Retrofit Ramp-Up’ program supports large-scale models that can open new energy efficiency opportunities to whole neighborhoods, towns, and, eventually, entire states.

The Recovery Act, the Secretary added, allows innovative communities to demonstrate a variety of sustainable business models that can be replicated across the country.

The Request For Information (RFI) issued in September is for competitively selected local energy efficiency projects.

This competitive portion of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program targets community-scale retrofit projects that make significant, long-term impacts on energy use and can serve as national role models for grassroot energy efficiency efforts. 

According to the DOE, the agency is accepting feedback on both the competitively-selected portion of the EECBG program for up to $390 million for neighborhood-scale building retrofits, as well as up to $64 million for local governments that were not eligible to receive the formula grants announced earlier this year.

The EECBG program empowers local communities to make strategic investments to meet the nation’s long-term goals for energy independence and leadership on climate change.

In other words, more green jobs and better green jobs training.

This first topic area under the funding solicitation will target a select number of innovative programs that are structured to provide whole-neighborhood building energy retrofits.

These will be projects that demonstrate a sustainable business model for providing cost-effective energy upgrades for a large percentage of the residential, commercial, and public buildings in a specific community.

Possible approaches could include innovative partnerships between the public and private sector, utility retrofit and audit programs, alternative financing, retail partnerships, and others.

More green efforts could include LEED AP certification for homes and buildings and energy audits by certified professionals to obtain maximum benefits from the project.

The DOE will award up to $390 million for these projects

The second topic area for up to $64 million is reserved for cities, counties and state-recognized Indian tribes that were not eligible to receive population-based formula grant allocations from DOE under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

These funds are intended to help expand local energy efficiency efforts and reduce energy use in the commercial, residential, transportation, manufacturing, or industrial sectors.

Chu said the aim of the ‘Retrofit Ramp-Up’ program is to jump-start an industry that makes energy efficiency savings easy to access and available to everyone.

“By encouraging partnerships between local governments and effective private enterprises, we hope tune-ups for buildings will become as accepted as tune-ups for cars.

These efforts will save Americans millions of dollars, reduce carbon pollution, and create new green jobs,” Chu concluded.

Well, we could do with as many green jobs as can be possibly created for the well-being of our planet and for greener future generations.

by Robert Gluck

He’s a ‘one man battle force’ who aggressively tackles and wins every anti-nature war that stops him and others from preservation of natural resources and ecological conservation.

Who, you ask?

Councilman Charles Djou, of Honolulu – Hawaii, works hard on his environmental agendas and he’s getting things done for green buildings and their owners.

In September 2009, the Honolulu City Council unanimously passed Bill 58, sponsored by Djou.

This bill creates a real property tax exemption for alternative energy improvements which translates to all renewable energy improvements such as wind farms and solar power plants.

Effective October 1, 2009, the alternative energy installed on a building, property, or land is exempt from property taxes for 25 years.

Djou wants people to know that going green (like getting a LEED certification for your home, making buildings green – the LEED AP way) won’t burn huge holes in your pocket; on the contrary, it will save your hard-earned greenbacks.

The supporters of this energy-saving bill include energy companies and property developers, such as Tesoro and Castle & Cooke, as well as environmental organizations like the Sierra Club.

“This measure will make it easier for entrepreneurs to initiate renewable energy projects,” said Djou.

According to the bill, alternative energy sources include solar, wind, hydropower, tidal, wave, solid waste and increased efficiency in fossil-fuel burning facilities.

Energy sources based on fossil fuels, nuclear fuels or geothermal energy are not eligible for this exemption.

When the green bill was sent to be signed by the Mayor, Djou remarked, “Reducing Hawaii’s use of fossil fuel is an important policy objective.”

He also added, “This measure will make it easier for entrepreneurs to initiate renewable energy projects.

Bill 58 will also help preserve Oahu’s precious open space by encouraging renewable energy production on vacant land and reducing the pressure for more urban development.”

Along with the property tax exemption ‘green’ bill, council members also made progress on measures to ban shark tours off Oahu and prohibit sleeping, sitting or lying down on public sidewalks.

Djou’s bionomic-conserving ‘green’ efforts place Hawaii on a list with 24 other states that have passed similar property tax exemptions for capitalizing on renewable energy.

The ever-increasing ‘green’ list includes California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

Protecting ‘Gaia’, battling for the environmental issues even in the face of stiff opposition and advocating for alternative energy comes natural to Djou.

For years he has been a vigorous proponent of reducing our dependence on imported oil and increasing the usage of renewable energy resources.

So focused and vigilant is the pro-green Councilman in his eco-savvy strategies that in 2007, Djou pushed the city to begin a comprehensive curbside recycling program even if it meant dropping from twice-a-week rubbish pickup to once a week!

That bill, as was expected from Djou’s consistent ‘green’ efforts, also passed.

Djou pushed for landmark laws that provided funding for Honolulu to purchase solar photovoltaic systems to generate electricity in city buildings and for city vehicles to use nitrogen in tires to reduce fuel costs.

Djou continues to advocate for better use of our natural resources.

To encourage the installation of photovoltaic cells in residential homes, Djou introduced and passed legislation that waived the building fees for residents who chose to install PV systems in their homes.

In June 2004, a $7.85 million solar bonds for clean energy and efficiency projects for city buildings, introduced by Djou, financed energy upgrades and the promotion of solar energy.

With this initiative, Honolulu became one of the first cities in the nation to dedicate bonds for clean-energy projects.

Five years ago when this happened Naomi Arcand, chairwoman of the Sierra Club, Oahu Group, praised the city council for approving the bond.

“These bonds will pay for themselves and save the city money, reduce air pollution and provide good local jobs,” she said.

Djou, who championed the bond measure, noted that the city is one of the largest energy users on Oahu.

“It makes sense because it will save money over the long term,” Djou said.

“Using renewable energy will cut costs to taxpayers because the amount we save on the bill each month will add up to more than the cost of the bond. It is good public policy to use renewable sources of energy.”

In August, 2008, Councilmember Djou introduced three measures to address energy consumption in the city.

Among the package of bills and resolutions introduced, one would limit the amount of kilo wattage the city consumes in a year, as well as require all city departments to procure appliances that are “Energy Star” compliant.

Now only if more people went green with a vengeance and took appreciative earth-friendly actions like pursuing a LEED AP CERTIFICATION for their buildings or getting their homes designed by LEED AP Building Design and Construction – because we could all do with a bit more ‘green’ in our lives.