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March 13, 2010 |
Welcome to ThermalStar's E-newsletterWelcome to the first edition of ThermalStar's first e-newsletter! We're very excited to offer you the latest news, technology, and upcoming events about ThermalStar and thermography in general. BPI Analyst classes resume this spring at our facility in Tucson, Arizona. The certification course is five days long, with both field and in-house training. We are also affiliated with ITC (Infrared Training Center) and will be holding Level I certification course in early April at our facility in Tucson, Arizona. New "HomeStar" ProgramYou've heard of Cash for Clunkers, now get ready for Cash for Caulkers - a multibillion dollar proposal designed to create jobs and give homeowners lower energy bills. Last Friday, representatives from building efficiency advocacy groups held a Webinar to outline the Home Star program, nicknamed Cash for Caulker, and said that its prospects for becoming a law should be known within several weeks. A Home Star Coalition is already forming, which includes large retailers Home Depot and Lowes, equipment suppliers such as Dow and GE appliances, along with energy-efficiency contractors, labor groups, and environmental advocacy groups. Another pertinent Home Star Coalition member is Serious Materials, a Silicon Valley company that makes energy-efficient building products, including windows and sheet rock that’s manufactured in a less polluting way. For homeowners, the proposed legislation provides incentives to weatherize homes and upgrade to more efficient lighting or heating and cooling systems. Home inspections and energy audits will be performed to determine the level of energy efficiency in the home. Part of a comprehensive energy audit is a blower door test, which measures how air tight a home is by measuring air flow at a given air pressure. It will be structured on two levels, silver and gold, depending on the level of investment made, said Matt Golden, the chair of the EfficiencyFirst advocacy group. The silver level requires a homeowner to do at least two approved improvements and work with contractors that meet certain "basic standards," Golden stated. Completion of the silver level is worth (up to) 2,000 dollars in tax credits for an energy efficiency retrofit. Golden added that Home Star is designed to fit with the EPA’s Home Performance EnergyStar standards and state programs. The gold level involves having a building’s energy "performance" rated by contractors accredited by the BPI (Building Performance Institute). The more stringent performance goals, which could reduce a building’s energy consumption of 20 percent, would be eligible for up to 4,000 dollars' worth of tax credits - according to the description on the EfficiencyFirst Web site. The intent of Home Star is to create jobs in the short term, either through BPI training or creating demand for home efficiency products and services. But given the amount of money being discussed and its standards-based approach, Home Star has the potential to be "transformative" in the building efficiency industry, Golden said. "This is a moment in time where we are going to have a foundation to drive a strong industry," he said. President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, which includes venture capitalist and green-tech investor John Doerr, has endorsed the plan as it meets economic and environmental goals. There’s also the potential to create demand for green building products. Golden cautioned that Home Star is not yet law. But it does have clear support from President Obama, who has touted the benefits of home weatherization many times and called insulation "sexy" during a Home Depot visit last month. Upcoming BPI Class Schedule - Tucson, Arizona
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