NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) – The only thing keeping many people from having a more energy-efficient home is money.

A brand new program allows people to get green upgrades now and pay for them later in their monthly utility bill.

Ruth Lahey told CBS 2′s Elise Finch that poor insulation, inefficient lighting fixtures, and a faulty boiler were causing the utility bills in her Westchester County home to skyrocket.

“Our oil bills were very high. One of my kids’ bedrooms was extremely cold compared to the other bedroom, so I knew something was wrong,” said Lahey.

A new state program allows New Yorkers to make energy-efficient upgrades in their homes without paying any cash up front, it’s called the On-Bill Recovery Loan Program.

John Schott of the New York State Energy Authority explains that, “most of the measures that truly save a lot of energy are expensive. Through on-bill homeowners can now take advantage of upgrading their homes through energy-efficient improvements and make their payments through their utility bill.”

Homeowners first agree to a comprehensive home energy audit to identify areas to save energy. The next step is applying for a 2.99 percent loan. If approved the homeowner will be eligible for up to $25,000 to make necessary changes.

The loan is repaid each month through a line item on the homeowner’s utility bill.

Experts say that using the program can save homeowners money.

“Work that is done is actually paid for by the savings they’re going to realize every month,” said Mario Bruni of Bruni and Campisi Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning.

There are no income limitations for homeowners wishing to participate in the program. Participants must have a credit score of at least 640 or a good payment history for both their mortgage and their utility bills. They must also own the property.

New Yorkers who apply now won’t have to start repaying the loan until June.

Link: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/13/energy-efficient-home-improvements-could-save-new-yorkers-money/

Learn how to save significant money on your energy bills and reduce your fuel use by 30% to 60%. Larry Nissman, Environmental Director for Phoenix Mechanical will walk you through the process, step by step, of making your home energy efficient and how to receive New York State and Federal cash incentives.

Wednesday, July 28, 6:30 p.m. / Mount Kisco Public Library / 914.666-8041 / 100 Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY 10549

The event is free and open to the public.

The Energy Efficiency Coalition, which represents a diverse group of businesses, nonprofits and trade associations, has joined the HOME STAR Coalition in calling for HOME STAR legislation to be included in the Small Business Jobs Bill now under development in the Senate. Efficiency First was among 25 prominent companies and organizations that signed a letter  drafted by the Energy Efficiency Coalition and delivered to the Senate today. Here is the text of the EEC letter, which reinforces the message delivered to the Senate yesterday by the HOME STAR Coalition:

Dear Senators:

We, the undersigned members of the Energy Efficiency Coalition, represent a diverse group of energy efficiency, public interest, and private companies as well as environmental organizations.

We write to strongly urge you to include the bi-partisan HOME STAR legislation (S. 3434) in the pending Small Business Jobs legislation being considered in the Senate. HOME STAR is a triple-WIN helping some of the hardest hit industries in our economy while simultaneously:

• Rapidly Creating Jobs
• Contributing to Energy Independence
• Lowering Household Energy Bills

To date the unemployment level in the contracting sector remains unacceptably high as one out of every four construction workers is out of work. Now is the time to help this important part of the economy. Moreover, a study completed by ICF International indicates that HOME STAR would generate energy bill savings of $627M – $639M in its first year and an additional $812M to $820M in its second year. Savings from the legislation are expected to continue well beyond the two year lifespan of the program.

HOME STAR is a market-driven, low-bureaucracy program that will create jobs fast by scaling the existing home energy efficiency improvement industry. HOME STAR will use rebates and tax incentives to catalyze more Americans to begin making their homes more energy efficient. Consumers nationwide will embrace HOME STAR because it will be simple, accessible and help them save money on energy bills.

The HOME STAR legislation has bi-partisan support and over twenty-one co-sponsors in the Senate. HOME STAR also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

We strongly urge the Senate to move swiftly to include HOME STAR as part of the Small Business Jobs bill.

Sincerely,

• Alliance to Save Energy
• American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
• Building Codes Assistance Project
• Conservation Law Foundation
• Conservation Services Group
• Council of the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association
• Danfoss
• Direct Energy
• The Dow Chemical Company
• Efficiency First
• Environment America
• Environmental and Energy Study Institute
• Green Strategies
• Knauf Insulation
• Lockheed Martin
• Masco Corporation
• Masco Home Services
• National Association of State Energy Officials
• National Association of Energy Service Companies
• Natural Resource Defense Council
• Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association
• Recurve
• Serious Materials
• Siemens
• Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance

Malta, NY, July 7, 2010 – Efficiency First has posted a crucial update on the proposed Home Star Bill (also known as ‘Cash for Caulkers’) to its website at http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/home-star. The proposed program would bring $6 billion to the energy efficiency and residential contracting industries.

Last week, the U.S. Senate began considering a legislative package targeting job creation in the small business sector. Efficiency First is trying to ensure that the proposed HOME STAR energy retrofit program – with over 1,500 small businesses as part of the Home Star Coalition – will be included as part of this important legislation.

What You Can Do

You can learn more about this very important development regarding Home Star on the Efficiency First website at http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/home-star.

Revised Home Star Legislation Introduced in U. S. Senate
Malta, NY, May 28, 2010 -  A revised version of the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (S. 3434) was introduced in the United States Senate yesterday.  Home Star, the legislative proposal designed to create a U.S. energy retrofit rebate program, recently passed through similar legislation (H.R. 5019) by the United States House of Representatives on May 6, 2010 by a vote of 26 to 161. 
 
BPI personnel certification and company accreditation credentials – along with many BPI national technical standards – are cited in the draft legislation for the Home Star Act of 2010. 
 
Co-sponsored by 16 senators, this bill is now being examined by the Administration, the Senate leadership and the Senate Finance Committee. 
 
The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 has substantial economic, energy and environmental benefits.  It is a sustainable initiative that has gained widespread support in all states – from labor and construction groups to environmental and energy efficiency organizations.  The bill, if passed, will strengthen the American economy by providing close to $6 billion in incentive programs to American homeowners for energy efficiency home improvements.
 
Economic Advantages
Save U.S. consumers money on energy bills
Put construction workers back to work by creating ~168,000 jobs in an industry with a 25% unemployment rate
Provide new opportunities for certified contractors and other skilled workers
Energy and Environmental Advantages
Cut consumer energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil
Improve America’s energy security
Home Star incentives include the Gold Star and Silver Star Rebate Programs. The Silver Star program provides incentives ranging from $50 to $1,500 for various prescriptive energy efficiency improvement measures. The Gold Star program follows a performance-based path for incentives, offering $3,000 for a 20% improvement in a home’s energy efficiency and an additional $1,000 for each additional 5% reduction, capped at $8,000 or 50% of the total retrofit cost (including the cost of audit and diagnostic procedures).
 
For a detailed, concise summary of the Home Star bill, see the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources press release, entitled Generating Home-Grown Jobs for American Workers While Lowering Energy Costs for Cash-strapped Homeowners. 
 
The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) is a nationally recognized standards development and contractor credentialing organization for residential energy efficiency retrofit work. BPI sets the standard for the residential energy efficiency retrofit and weatherization workforce and stands ready to certify individuals and accredit companies for whole-home energy efficiency improvements. Visit www.bpi.org to learn more about BPI and the Home Star Incentive Programs. 
 
For BPI media inquiries, contact Stephanie Inglis at: singlis@motumb2b.com or (416) 598-7573.
 
About the Building Performance Institute
The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) is the nation’s premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance, and national standards setting organization. BPI supports the development of a highly professional building performance industry through individual and organizational credentialing and a rigorous quality assurance program.
 
BPI offers the following:
certification of individuals in building analyst, heating, AC/heat pump, shell/envelope, and multi-family designations
accreditation of contractors committed to delivering quality, home performance improvements
quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and provide feedback for continuing improvement
affiliation of training organizations that deliver BPI services in their market
open, transparent, consensus developed national technical standards based on sound building science
BPI, in cooperation with the building performance industry stakeholders, establishes a professional performance bar at a level appropriate to ensuring the consistent delivery of exceptional building performance services for those entrusting the BPI brand. 
 
For more information about Home Star and BPI, visit: www.bpi.org.
 
Building Performance Institute, Inc.
107 Hermes Road, Suite 110
Malta, NY 12020
Phone: (877) 274-1274
Fax: (866) 777-1274
info@bpi.org
www.bpi.org