MARKEY: HOMESTAR WILL BE A HOME RUN FOR HOMEOWNERS

Bill Passes Energy and Commerce Committee, Heads to House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC – April 15, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — The HomeStar program to help families retrofit their homes with more efficient windows, doors and other home improvements today passed the Energy and Commerce Committee, moving a program backed by President Obama, to a vote in the House of Representatives. The HomeStar legislation passed the committee by a vote of 30-17.

“When it is signed into law, HomeStar will be an economic home run for homeowners and home contractors everywhere,” said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

HomeStar is a program designed to help every homeowner looking for a little extra help to make their home more efficient by saving energy. The program will provide homeowners rebates for purchasing and installing more efficient windows, doors, insulation and other home improvements that will cut energy bills, while jumpstarting our manufacturing and labor sectors.

HomeStar is supported by a wide-ranging coalition that includes thousands of labor, environmental, manufacturing and other organizations and companies, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Natural Resources Defense Council,  Change to Win and Owens Corning.

The HomeStar program addresses several important issues facing the American economy:

JOBS: HomeStar will create or save an estimated 168,000 jobs. There is currently a 27 percent unemployment rate in the construction sector.

HOMEOWNERS: HomeStar will help homeowners save $9.2 billion dollars on their energy bills.

ENERGY: In 2011 alone, HomeStar will save an amount of electricity equivalent to four 300 megawatt power plants and an amount of natural gas and home heating oil that is the equivalent of 6.8 million barrels of heating oil.