The Obama administration is looking very closely into the possibility of a program that would cover a big chunk of the cost to weatherize your home—meaning you’d save money right away on getting an energy audit and on projects like sealing windows and adding insulation, and you’d save down the line because those projects will make it cheaper to keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer.
Some details of a plan being discussed that would cost the government $23 billion over two years, per the NY Times:
Most of the money would go for incentive payments, generally $2,000 to $4,000, for weatherization projects. The homeowner would always have to pay at least 50 percent of the project’s total cost. About $3 billion would be set aside for retailers and contractors in the hope that they would promote the program, much as car dealerships promoted cash for clunkers.
Great deal for homeowners who can take advantage, and to the Home Depots, contractors, and construction workers out there that could find themselves quite busy. But if you’re a renter, or already have an energy-efficient home? Well, then you’re on the outside looking in, just like the vast majority of taxpayers who funded the cash-for-clunkers program but didn’t come out of it with a new automobile.
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