Green Living Upgrade – On the Government’s Dime?
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Planted by: Jennifer Tidwell
Date: Thursday February 26, 2009
Planted in: Green Living
I have run across several articles, and an NPR radio spot, this week that mention the availability of funds for “greening” an existing home. While I applaud any efforts of the government to help people lower their energy costs, increase their comfort, and promote environmentally friendly energy alternatives, I view this with a hint of skepticism and wonder how it will play out in reality. The stimulus bill itself elicits a gut reaction from me, that I can’t quite classify. It’s fair to say I’m on the fence about the stimulus plan.
Looking spectacular on paper (Lower energy bills! Environmentally friendly homes!), the real test will be in how many people qualify for the assistance, whether landlords who rent to lower income people will be able to take advantage of the funds, and if it will be available on a widespread basis. Some states already have weatherization assistance programs in place, complete with long waiting lists.
The primary focus should be for elderly and disabled people who live on fixed incomes and can’t afford their high heating bills nor the necessary upgrades to their homes. Second in line should be lower income people who own a home, and landlords who rent to lower income tenants.
The most important question in my mind is how people are expected to pay for this. Is this a cost-sharing, reimbursement, or tax credit arrangement? That is an important distinction for lower income participants who won’t be able to shell out thousands of dollars up front with the expectation of getting a rebate or a credit on their taxes next April. I’m sure it will vary from state to state, and possibly even from county to county.
In addition to this, there is the usual bureaucratic process that involves figuring out how the money will be spent for existing programs, setting up programs where none currently exist, and training additional people to do the work.
If this part of the stimulus bill works as it should, it could simultaneously lower heating bills for the people who desperately need it, and boost the flagging construction industry. Citing NPR’s article, “Construction workers can be easily retooled to be air-duct or insulation installers and meet our current needs.” A concern of mine (and others) is that we will be importing a greater amount of foreign-made alternative energy and energy-efficient products instead of finding ways to produce them here.
I will be watching this issue as it unfolds in the coming months, and encourage you to do the same. Comments are welcome.
Articles:
How You Can Green Your Home and Cash in on Stimulus Money
Weathering the Times: Stimulus Boosts Green Jobs
Critics say huge increase for weatherization in economic stimulus won’t be spent wisely
Possibly Related Posts:
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
