Home Star, or Something Like it, is Alive and Well in Delaware

The Home Star loan legislation (H.R. 4785) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 16, 2010, only to fall victim to the fall election cycle and drift off into the wilderness of Congress. Home Star would have provided rebates to homeowners who remodel their homes with energy efficient equipment and materials, potentially saving energy and money for consumers who choose to participate.

Despite the failure of Congress to pass this popular proposal, the state of Delaware as decided that it will proceed on its own.

Delaware Offers Rebates for Energy Efficient Home Upgrades

Energize Delaware, a non-profit organization started by the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU), is offering homeowners rebates through their Home Performance with Energy Star program, from $300 to $8,250 through the end of the year to make energy efficient upgrades to their homes.

The program is scheduled to run through May 31, 2012, and was originally modeled after the federal Home Star program.

Hope for Copycat States

We at the Alliance hope that more states will soon follow suit with their own Home Star-like programs. Because the economy is still so unpredictable, any attempts that states take to help their constituents save money – and at the same time, save energy – is good policy.

In the meantime, if you live in Delaware, we hope you will take part in what sounds like a new and exciting program. If you don’t and your state doesn’t offer any rebate programs, please visit the Alliance’s Living Efficiently website to see how you can save money at home, at work, at school and on the go.