Senator Warner promoted the HOME STAR energy conservation initiative today before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.  The Senator has been a leading architect of the initiative in the Senate.

HOME STAR will provide financial incentives for homeowners who invest in energy conservation and efficiency upgrades -- and create jobs in U.S. industries producing the materials and installing the upgrades.

Senator Warner also announced today that the HOME STAR proposal has been endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers, which represents 10,000 manufacturing companies employing nearly 12 million people.

The HOME STAR program will provide partial reimbursements for homeowners who retrofit their homes with energy-saving upgrades, such as sealing cracks, upgrading insulation, and installing more energy efficient household fixtures and appliances.

During his testimony today, Senator Warner said the program will create jobs almost immediately -- perhaps as many as 150,000 jobs -- to retrofit 3.3 million homes.  Many of those jobs be created in the hard-hit construction industry, whose workforce is already trained, licensed, and ready to work.  

And unlike weatherization programs, the HOME STAR initiative focuses on empowering the private sector -- with such big-box retailers as Home Depot or Lowe's and private contractors -- to provide consumers with the resources they need.  It can also help consumers save an estimated $9.5 billion off of their utility bills over the next 10 years.  

Senator Warner said during his testimony:

My hope is that this will be a jump-start that is targeted and timely. I don't envision this being a long-term program.  But if we can use this program to jump-start the retrofit industry at the home-level and at the construction-level, and then wean ourselves off the program as people see the benefits, this could have enormous long-term impact.  While there is some risk involved, I think, as a former venture capitalist, the upside is so great that it requires serious consideration.  I hope it gets the bipartisan support it needs.  

For more information on the HOME STAR proposal, click here.