What is HOME STAR?

HOME STAR, also known as “Cash for Caulkers”, is a proposed nationwide legislation and incentive program for home energy performance retrofit projects. It will create jobs in existing industries by providing strong short-term incentives for energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings.

This initiative establishes a $6 billion rebate program to encourage immediate investment in energy-efficient appliances, building mechanical systems and insulation, and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits. HOME STAR will rapidly create jobs in both the construction and manufacturing industry, while saving families money on their energy bills. It will build on current state programs and existing industry capacity for performing both retrofits and quality assurance, using federal standards and incentives as a common platform to lower program costs and increase consumer awareness.

What are the two HOME STAR levels?

HOME STAR will make $6 billion in rebates and financing available to homeowners for energy efficiency improvements on their homes. The program will offer rebates to homeowners at the time of sale through 2 tracks:

• The Silver Star level is a prescriptive approach whereby the homeowner will get rebates of up to $3,000 for specific energy improvement upgrades including: air sealing; attic, wall, and crawl space insulation; duct sealing or replacement; and replacement of existing windows and doors, furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters and appliances with high-efficiency models. Homeowners will receive matching funds from $250 to $1,500 (not to exceed 50% of cost) depending on the type of project, with a cap of $3,000 on rebates.
  
• The Gold Star level will go a step further by providing incentives for retrofitting the entire home. First, an energy audit, which must be done by a BPI Certified Professional, will be completed on the house. Then, working with the homeowner, the contractor will design a customized retrofit plan and calculate the energy savings that will result from the recommended improvements. The actual improvements to the home must also be performed by a BPI Accredited Contractor.  Homeowners will receive $3,000 for projected savings of 20%, plus $1,000 for each additional 5% of energy savings, with matching incentives of up to $8,000. This performance‐based approach will encourage homeowners to invest in the most cost‐effective solutions ‐ innovations that are often the simplest and most labor‐intensive
  

Why do I need my BPI Certification to participate in HOME STAR?

The Silver Star program will consist of rebates of 50 percent of the cost for simple upgrades, i.e. new insulation, duct sealing, or water heaters. The Gold Star level, however, will be much more comprehensive and provide a much higher level of homeowner incentive amounts. Under gold star, contractors evaluate the entire house, recommending a wide suite of improvements to realize 20 percent energy savings.

Since Gold Star level requires contractors to conduct comprehensive energy audits and also potentially offers significantly higher rebates, the current HOME STAR legislation proposes that for Gold Star projects the energy audits and home assessments may only be performed by individuals with certification.

Specifically, the legislation requires that a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Building Analyst Certified Professional performs the audit. In addition, Energy efficiency improvement measures may only be installed by a BPI GOLD STAR Accredited Contracting Company.

To sum it up, for HOME STAR GOLD programs, you will almost surely need BPI Certification. BPI remains the leader in this industry and BPI Certification will remain a "gold" standard. For SILVER STAR projects, BPI certification will not be needed by law. However, it would appear to be a smart business decision to get certified, if one is serious about reaping the benefits of the HOME STAR legislation.

Contractors who are forward thinking will obviously want to differentiate themselves from competitors. By getting your BPI Certification, even if you're only going to handle SILVER STAR projects, it will certainly help you stand out from you competitors.

To qualify for funding under the GOLD STAR level:

1. Energy audit and home assessment test-in/test-out procedures may ONLY be performed by a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Building Analyst Certified Professional or a Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) qualified rater (or an approved equivalent).
2. Energy efficiency improvement measures may ONLY be installed by a BPI GOLD STAR Accredited Contracting Company (or another accreditation approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy).
3. All Quality Assurance inspections may ONLY be conducted by a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Building Analyst Certified Professional or a Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) qualified rater (or an approved equivalent).

How do I become a BPI Accredited Contractor?

CleanEdison can help you on your path to becoming a BPI Accredited contractor in one week with the new HOME STAR Boot Camp Program.  Our intensive HOME STAR Boot Camp combines our BPI Building Analyst Training and our BPI Envelope Professional –or– our BPI AC Heat Pump Professional course into a concise week-long program.  

To register or learn more about our HOME STAR Boot Camp classes please click here.