What Would Cash for Caulkers Mean for You and Me?
As the White House continues to try and boost the economy several plans have been presented as part of the ongoing stimulus and one of them has been coined "Cash for Caulkers".
On the surface it seemed that the "Cash for Clunkers" program was a huge success and yes it did capture America's imagination like no other government program has in years and produced a surge in new car sales while getting some pollution spewing cars and trucks off the road. But at what cost? There are some reports that the "Cash for Clunkers" program only resulted in a limited amount of new car sales and each one of those sales was subsidized by the government.
Regardless of what you think of that program the latest attempt to infuse the economy is another homegrown program. The "Cash for Caulkers" is an ingenious way to kill two birds with one stone. Provide jobs for the thousands of out of work contractors and construction workers as well as help homeowners save money and energy in their homes.
This program sounds great but how many of these contractors and construction workers are skilled to not only to perform an energy audit but also do the necessary repairs and modifications to insulate and weatherstrip a home properly? Many of these contractors are Union and prohibited from taking side jobs or work that's not approved by their Union.
For homeowners is the cost of an energy audit and hiring a contractor to do the work worth the savings?
Until the details of this plan are sorted out we can only speculate what it means to you and I. In the meantime we've got some tips here for you to do your own energy audit as well as weatherstrip your home.
Don't wait to insulate!
Steps to better insulation
How to check for drafts around doors
Preserve Heat
photo: JenCarole
Tags: cash for caulkers, government, obama, stimulus
