HOME STAR Coalition Grows to 2,000 Members, Urges Administration and U.S. Senate: Include the Bi-Partisan HOME STAR Legislation (Co-Sponsored by 25 Senators) in the Small Business Jobs Bill

WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The HOME STAR Coalition, a diverse group of nationally recognized companies, labor and environmental organizations and associations, today issued an open letter to President Obama and the United States Senate encouraging the inclusion of the bi-partisan HOME STAR legislation in the Small Business Jobs bill. The Home Star Coalition letter can be viewed here: www.homestarcoalition.org/HSC_letter_to_obama_and_senate.pdf. The HOME STAR Coalition also announced its membership increased to over 2,000 small and medium sized businesses and organizations from every state in the country who stand in support of HOME STAR and its widespread benefits for job creation, savings for homeowners, and energy efficiency.

"HOME STAR is the right investment for the country at the right time. That time is now," said Tracy Price, CEO of The Linc Group. "Energy efficiency is not a partisan issue, as it helps move us toward greater energy independence and enhances our national security. This program is targeted at the largest marketplace in the country, existing homes, and will create jobs in a new industry that will thrive for decades."

"The sooner HOME STAR is signed into law, the sooner we can get tens of thousands of American small businesspeople - contractors, insulation installers, caulkers, and others - back to work," said Kate Offringa, president and CEO of CNAIMA, representing 1,300 companies and institutions across the country advocating the adoption of HOME STAR.

"Small businesses across America are ready, and homeowners are waiting, for HOME STAR to become law. The average size of home retrofit contracting firms is four to eight employees - small businesses that are hurt by the recession, ripe for creating jobs, and desperate for HOME STAR to pass. When Americans invest in their homes, they invest in our communities by building the market for local, quality jobs that bring contractors back to work," said Greg Thomas, Chair of Efficiency First, a non-profit which represents nearly 1,000 business owners in all 50 states.

The HOME STAR legislation has bi-partisan support and 25 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).

Steve Cowell, CEO of Conservation Services Group, said, "HOME STAR will help avoid a double-dip recession by adding jobs at a critical time but it will also help reduce home energy costs for millions of Americans thus making overall housing costs more affordable."

"The continued attention to HOME STAR shows that our elected representatives in Washington realize the enormous potential of energy efficiency incentives. These programs offer consumers a way to save energy, save money, and help bolster America's struggling manufacturing sector. With appropriate incentives for consumers, HOME STAR can help get the American economic engine running again," said Stephen R. Yurek, President and CEO, AHRI (Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute).

HOME STAR is a market-driven, low-bureaucracy program that would create jobs fast by scaling the existing home energy efficiency improvement industry. HOME STAR would use rebates and tax incentives to spur more Americans to start making their homes more energy efficient. It would establish a streamlined rebate program to encourage immediate investment in energy-efficient appliances, building mechanical systems and insulation, and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits. Consumers nationwide would embrace HOME STAR because it will be simple, accessible, and help them save money.

"Rarely is there an opportunity like HOME STAR with such wide-spread benefit - creating immediate jobs, helping consumers save money on their energy bills, all while helping the environment and our energy independence," said Larry Laseter, president of WellHome. "Unfortunately, while awareness of home energy efficiency grows, consumers are delaying the retrofit work itself in anticipation of the HOME STAR incentives. The consumer demand exists, jobs are waiting to be filled, and we need this legislation now."

HOME STAR would help to kick start the comeback of our country's hard-hit construction industry. The Coalition estimates the legislation would create 168,000 new jobs in construction and related industries over the next two years. This would have a big impact because one out of four construction workers is currently unemployed.

"HOME STAR is an essential step to help Americans save on their energy bills while spurring the creation of good jobs and new industries that drive economic recovery and help our country achieve energy independence," said Kevin Pranis, Director of Home Performance for Change to Win.

"Investing in HOME STAR for our homes and buildings is the cleanest, cheapest, and fastest way to save energy," said Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director. "By reducing the amount of energy simply going to waste, HOME STAR would allow hard-hit consumers to see immediate reductions in their energy bills, but it would also put tens of thousands of Americans back to work in skilled construction and manufacturing jobs almost immediately - making it an easy win for both the economy and the environment."

For more information about HOME STAR and the HOME STAR Coalition visit www.homestarcoalition.org.

Additional quotes in support of HOME STAR from some of the Coalition's diverse members

"The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has done a detailed analysis and estimates HOME STAR will create 126,000 jobs in 2010 and 36,000 jobs in 2011. In addition, HOME STAR lays the groundwork for a longer term effort to help most homeowners reduce their energy bills and increase home comfort by making their homes more efficient," said Steven Nadel, Executive Director, ACEEE.

"HOME STAR will empower cash-strapped Americans to cut their monthly home energy bills," said Kateri Callahan, President of the Alliance to Save Energy. "The Alliance has worked for more than 30 years to help Americans reduce their home energy costs, and with 25 percent unemployment in the construction industry, now is the time to provide the American people with the kind of assistance that HOME STAR can provide. This program will create American jobs for American workers, save homeowners money on their energy bills, and help to restart a fragile construction industry."

"With 25 percent unemployment, the construction industry is in a one industry depression. Retrofitting homes for energy efficiency is not only good for the environment and energy security, it is a smart, fast acting, and well targeted jobs policy," said Bracken Hendricks, Senior Fellow with the Center for American Progress. "HOME STAR is a common-sense solution to put America back to work while saving consumers money."

"We believe the HOME STAR program will deliver both economic and environmental benefits," said Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company. "Economically, it will stimulate the construction sector, among the hardest hit in the recession, while also giving relief to homeowners, who count energy as their largest cost after their mortgage. HOME STAR has the additional benefit of offering immediate consumer relief through direct rebates rather than tax credits to be accrued in a distant future."

"America has the technology, the know-how and a workforce that is ready to retrofit our homes to make them more efficient. HOME STAR will give consumers the incentives they need in order to retrofit their homes, which will immediately reduce global warming pollution, put Americans to work, and save families money in energy costs," said Sean Garren, Clean Energy Advocate for Environment America.

"HOME STAR is a fast but efficient way to improve the health, wealth, and well-being of our most vulnerable communities and provide pathways into prosperity for American workers. It is a win for our environment and a win for our economy," said Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO, Green For All.

"New jobs are desperately needed in America and HOME STAR will provide them by accelerating the growth of an industry focused on making homes use less energy. HOME STAR is based on established quality assurance standards so homeowners can be confident they are getting quality improvements installed and they will start saving money on their utility bills immediately," said Brett Knox, President, GreenHomes America.

"The Home Depot is supportive of the HOME STAR initiative, particularly the Silver Star program, which could be a big win for homeowners, manufacturers, contractors and the environment. If delivered with speed and simplicity, we think the HOME STAR program will help build consumer awareness around energy-efficiency measures and the impact it can have on lowering monthly utility bills. Most importantly, it will help put contractors back to work and stimulate domestic manufacturing," said Ron Jarvis, Vice President Environmental Innovation, The Home Depot.

"We share President Obama's belief in the need to invest in the green economy and create good jobs that can't be shipped overseas. We are supporting HOME STAR because it will create long-term, well-paying jobs that help struggling workers achieve economic security while also lowering energy costs. These goals are not only consonant with Jewish values of tzedek (justice) and tikkun olam (repair of the world), but are squarely in the interest of a Jewish community that would like to see the United States end our dependence on foreign energy while taking necessary steps to heal our planet," said Simon Greer, President and CEO, Jewish Funds for Justice.

"Now is the time to enact the HOME STAR legislation. It will put people back to work, cut the utility bills of homeowners and save energy. HOME STAR uses a simple rebate system to motivate homeowners to hire qualified contractors to install insulation and other energy efficient products to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and make them more comfortable. This is a much needed win for consumers, the environment and the economy. I look forward to quick action by the Senate to pass this vital legislation. It's time to save energy," said Mark Andrews, CEO Knauf Insulation, North America.

"Lowe's supports HOME STAR because it's the right thing to do for our customers, the economy and the environment. In the near term, HOME STAR will get America's contractors back to work and help homeowners reinvest in their homes; in the long term, HOME STAR will help homeowners save money by improving their homes' energy efficiency," said Michael D. Chenard, Director, Environmental Affairs, Lowe's.

"HOME STAR provides a direct, simple incentive that will encourage people to make their homes more energy efficient, while creating immediate American jobs in industries that are U.S.-Job centric. The incentive in turn helps the consumer save energy and lower their utility Bills. Putting people back to work is sound U.S. economic policy. Making existing homes more energy efficient is sound energy policy. We support HOME STAR," said Mike Thaman, Chairman and CEO, Owens Corning.

"HOME STAR is a no-brainer which is why it has thousands of companies behind it and bipartisan support. Since I started Recurve, we've grown 100% every year as homeowners increasingly value energy efficiency. Yet more action is needed as unemployment remains high and entire industries are waiting for lawmakers to step up to the plate for an easy home run. One direct way Congress can mitigate the risk of a double-dip recession is to swiftly pass HOME STAR, which earned widespread support because it offers a clear path for helping homeowners while breathing new life into our construction and manufacturing industries," said Matt Golden, president and founder, Recurve.

SOURCE The HOME STAR Coalition