By Patrick Rodgers patrick@connectsavannah.com
At 12:30 p.m. yesterday, the President entered Eckburg Auditorium at Savannah Tech, where hundreds of invited guests, elected officials and media had been waiting for his arrival. After rounds of applause and a barrage of camera flashes, the President began his comments against a backdrop of blue curtains and several American flags.
Obama talked about his tour of the campus, including facilities where students learn about green technology that will “help transform how we produce and use electricity.”
He pointed out that the Recovery Act has helped fund 300 road projects in the state at the moment, and also mentioned the billions of dollars in loan guarantees he announced last week for the construction of Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle, which he says will create 3,000 construction jobs and over 800 permanent jobs upon completion. This drew applause from the crowd.
The loan guarantee also drew several anti-nuclear protesters outside, including one who was wearing a pig suit and waving a sign decrying “nuclear pork.”
Foremost on the President’s agenda was green technology, jobs and the Recovery Act, all of which segued into his announcement of the new Home Star program.
He did not discuss whether the program would be paid with unused Stimulus money, or whether it would require further investment of taxpayer money.
“My job is to make sure every American can find a job,” the President told the crowd.
The Home Star program will include incentives for home owners to make their homes more energy efficient, upgrades like better windows, insulation and more, which would also stimulate jobs for contractors and construction workers. The improvements would also save homeowners money.
The program could make a significant difference in our national energy consumption.
According to Obama, “40 percent of the energy we use is in our homes and buildings.”
The real scoop: As outlined in a memo that was formally endorsed by PERAB members on Dec. 4, HOME STAR would reimburse homeowners for residential energy upgrades such as air sealing, insulation, new light bulbs and new appliances. Homeowners would be eligible to receive up to $2,000 for implementing at least two upgrades from a list of qualifying measures, or up to $3,500 for at least four qualifying measures. Higher incentives would be available to homeowners who achieve energy savings of at least 20 percent. Weatherization projects that reduce energy consumption by 20 percent would be eligible to receive up to $4,000 in incentive money, plus $1,500 for every additional 5 percent reduction in energy consumption. The Times also notes that all HOME STAR incentives would be capped at 50 percent of project costs, and a percentage of projects would be audited to ensure that the improvements perform as expected. The plan is projected to cost $23 billion over two years.
For now, read details from the Efficiency First blog:
