Save energy, save money

US: American homeowners may soon be getting government money to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Even President Barack Obama says insulation is “sexy”.

Obama’s proposal is to provide money for  weatherproofing, or  “weatherization” — for example, improving heating and cooling systems in homes, replacing or caulking windows and doors, and adding insulation under roofs. “Here’s what’s sexy about it: saving money,” Obama told listeners at Home Depot in Alexandria, Virgina, in mid-December. He says insulation and other home improvements will reduce energy use and can lower energy bills by as much as 50 per cent.

The programme has been called “cash for caulkers”, because it reminds some observers of the US “cash for clunkers" plan that increased car sales in 2009. It would offer incentives of between $1,000 and $3,000 to homeowners who buy materials or hire building contractors to carry out the weatherization.

Insulation and other home improvements will save energy and can lower energy bills by as much as 50 per cent.

In addition to reducing energy use, the programme aims to create up to 85,000 jobs for building contractors and retrofitters, as well as in companies that produce or sell home-improvement materials. “We believe if there were a direct incentive to homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, that would result in a nice uptick in demand for insulation,” Michael Thaman, head of insulation-maker Owens Corning, told the Los Angeles Times.