ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announced that it will be hosting a free webinar for its members called “The Facts About Home Star” on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 3 p.m. EDT. Home Star is a proposed federal retrofit rebate program that would offer homeowners rebates on certain efficiency improvements to their homes. A $6 billion version of the program was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, but a $5 billion version has been stalled in the Senate.

ACCA noted that most major construction and energy services contracting organizations have been supportive of this program’s goals, but are concerned about some of the details of how the program would be administered.

During this interactive webinar, ACCA said that it will present an overview of the program as it is currently written; explain where the funding is designed to go and who will benefit from the legislation; discuss the rebate structure, and how the current Senate version could hurt small businesses; review the accreditation requirements for the “Gold Star” part of the program; and explain what will happen if the legislation passes and how it could impact HVACR contractors.

Following the overview, a panel of contractors will discuss the legislative program and delve deeper into the long-term issues for the HVACR industry. Panelists include:

• John Sedine, Engineered Heating & Cooling, Michigan

• Ray Isaac, Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, New York

• Stan Johnson, Stan’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Texas

“Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation about this proposal around the country,” said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. “I’m afraid that some of Home Star’s champions may have left the program vulnerable to criticism, because they have oversimplified what’s in the bill, inflated expectations on the part of both homeowners and contractors, and steadfastly refused to address common-sense changes that America’s small businesses have told them we need.”

He continued, “In this webinar, we will dispense with all the myths about the Home Star proposal, and focus on the facts. We’ll explain what’s really in the bill and what it would accomplish. And some of America’s top home performance contractors will discuss their own strategies in this market, and explain how Home Star could be a home run, if it’s fixed.”

ACCA members may sign up for the webinar at no charge, but registration is required and must be done before Monday, Aug. 23, 2010. Access to the webinar requires both a phone line (to listen) and an Internet browser (to ask questions and view the presentation). Registration is available online only at www.acca.org/hottopics/.

Publication date: 08/16/2010