Bipartisan Support Needed for Efficiency Retrofit Programs: You Can Help

• HOME STAR is a federal program under consideration by the White House that would create more than half a million new jobs over the next two years by offering consumers direct incentives for improving the energy efficiency of their homes. This plan would leverage a combination of public and private investment to enable a strong market for Home Performance retrofits and stimulate immediate nationwide job creation in construction and manufacturing – jobs that cannot be outsourced overseas.

• The Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program has been passed by the House of Representatives as part of the Waxman-Markey climate bill. Before the legislation can be sent to the White House for a Presidential signature, the Senate must pass its own version of the bill. Senators in particular need to get the message that REEP will reverse the employment crisis in construction and related industries while lowering energy costs for American consumers.

• To find contact information for your Senators, go to www.senate.gov. Select your state from the “Find Your Senators” drop-down menu on the upper right corner of the page and click “Go.”
• To find contact information for your Congressional Representative, go to www.house.gov. Enter your zip code in the “Find Your Representative” search form at the upper left corner of the page (it’s OK to ignore the “+4” field) and click “Go.”

Sample letters and background information can be found at http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/take-action/.