Submitted by Steven Castle on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 12:00am

Reposted with permission from electronichouse.com

Energy may be a topic for the U.S. Congress this fall. But will homeowners be rewarded with real incentives for making energy-efficiency upgrades to their homes?

I had a chance to speak with legislative aides for Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Scott Brown, (R-Mass.) about this subject last week at the EnergySmart Conference hosted by energy management and demand response company EnerNOC in Boston.

Shaheen has partnered with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to introduce the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011. The bill has been passed by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with support from both parties, though it focuses on providing commercial and industrial energy efficiency incentives

Brown is behind the “eKnow” bill that would ensure consumers have access to their energy information, especially as it is collected by utilities as part of smart grid programs being rolled out.

But what of the Home Star legislation, introduced last year and providing up to $3,000 or more in instant rebates to homeowners investing in energy-efficiency upgrades? The $6 billion, two-year program enjoyed bipartisan support, but was repeatedly tacked on to failed legislation, such as a cap-and-trade bill.

Nat Hoopes, aide for Sen. Brown, says that Brown co-sponsored the Home Star bill in the Senate and that it could be brought up with other legislation, such as the Shaheen-Portman bill.

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