The HOMES Act would create the Home Energy Saving Retrofit Rebate program, which would provide $2,000-$8,000 in rebates directly to the consumer, depending on the retrofit project’s total energy savings.
But, unlike the widely-supported Shaheen-Portman bill, which uses federal funds to set up state programs, the HOMES Act requires the federal government to appropriate $500 million each of the fiscal years 2014-2017, causing some industry leaders to worry that the bill’s cost will make it undesirable to fiscally conservative members of the House and Senate.