Recovery Through Retrofit | Page 0

Recovery 

Through

Retrofit

OCTOBER 2009

MIDDLE CLASS TASK FORCE

COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Recovery Through Retrofit | Page 1

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................ 1

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... 5

A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RECOVERY THROUGH RETROFIT................. 5

IMPLEMENTATION.................................................................................................12

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................12
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Executive Summary

Making American homes and buildings more energy efficient presents an unprecedented opportunity for 

communities throughout the country. The Recovery Through Retrofit Report builds on investments 

made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) to expand the home 

energy efficiency and retrofit market. Home retrofits can potentially help people earn money, as home 

retrofit workers, while also helping them save money, by lowering their utility bills. By encouraging 

nationwide weatherization of homes, workers of all skill levels will be trained, engaged, and will 

participate in ramping up a national home retrofit market. 

There are almost 130 million homes in this country. Combined, they generate more than 20 percent of 

our nation's carbon dioxide emissions, making them a significant contributor to global climate change. 

Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce home energy use by up 

to 40 percent per home and lower associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons 

annually by the year 2020. Furthermore, home energy efficiency retrofits have the potential to reduce

home energy bills by $21 billion annually, paying for themselves over time.

By implementing Recovery Through Retrofit’s recommendations, the Federal Government will lay the 

groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. This Report provides a 

roadmap of how the Federal Government can use existing authorities and funds to unlock private capital

and mobilize our communities. 

Barriers to a National Retrofit Market

Despite the economic and environmental benefits of improving home energy efficiency, a series of 

barriers have prevented a self-sustaining retrofit market from forming, including:

1. Access to Information: Consumers do not have access to straightforward and 

reliable information on home energy retrofits that they need to make informed 

decisions. 

2. Access to Financing: Homeowners face high upfront costs and many are concerned 

that they will be prevented from recouping the value of their investment if they 

choose to sell their home. The upfront costs of home retrofit projects are often 

beyond the average homeowner’s budget.

3. Access to Skilled Workers: There are currently not enough skilled workers and 

green entrepreneurs to expand weatherization and efficiency retrofit programs on a 

national scale.
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Recommendations Summary

The Recovery Act provides a unique opportunity to address these barriers. The Recovery Act allocates 

about $80 billion to projects related to energy and the environment, and much of this money is targeted 

toward improving the energy efficiency in buildings, both Federal and non-Federal. Under the Recovery 

Act, state and local governments have an unprecedented opportunity to expand investments in energy 

retrofits and develop community-based programs on a large scale. These investments will put our 

country on a path to real reductions in greenhouse gases, and contribute to the economic recovery our 

country needs. The recommendations and actions in this Report have been carefully designed by eleven 

Departments and Agencies and six White House Offices to ensure that the energy efficiency market will 

thrive long after the Recovery Act money is fully spent. 

By coordinating Recovery Act funds, Federal Departments and Agencies and resources; through 

building strong partnerships with states and local communities; and by targeting government policy 

changes, a foundation for self-sustaining energy efficiency retrofit market will be built. Through 

implementation of the Recovery Through Retrofit recommendations, the Federal Government will 

leverage private capital, streamline the retrofitting process, and reduce energy costs for homeowners.

Provide American Homeowners with Straightforward and Reliable Home Energy Retrofit 

Information

Develop Energy Performance Label for Homes

We propose to do for homes what ENERGY STAR®has done for appliances, helping consumers

identify energy efficient products. New homes can already earn the ENERGY STAR®label – but no 

such label is available for existing homes. The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection 

Agency are working together to develop an energy performance label for these homes. The end result 

will be an easily recognizable benchmark that energy auditors, retrofitters, lenders, realtors, and 

consumers can use to compare home energy performance and identify the most energy efficient homes.

Develop a National Home Energy Performance Measure

Before we can develop an energy performance label for existing homes, we must establish a 

standardized home energy performance measure applicable to every home in America. This measure 

will make it much easier for consumers to understand how much they can save by retrofitting their 

home. It will also give lenders the information they need to work with homeowners who are looking to 

invest in home energy improvements. 

Reduce High Upfront Costs and Make it Easy for Homeowners to Borrow Money for Home 

Energy Retrofits

Support Municipal Energy Financing

Property tax or municipal energy financing allows the costs of retrofits to be added to a homeowner’s 

property tax bill, with monthly payments generally lower than utility bill savings. This arrangement 

attaches the costs of the energy retrofit to the property, not the individual, eliminating uncertainty about 
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recovering the cost of the improvements if the property is sold. Federal Departments and Agencies will 

work in partnership with state and local governments to establish standardized underwriting criteria and 

safeguards to protect consumers and minimize financial risks to the homeowners and mortgage lenders. 

The Department of Energy will support model financing programs to provide much needed upfront 

capital utilizing Recovery Act funding provided for the Department’s Energy Efficiency Conservation 

Block Grant and State Energy Programs. 

Improve Energy Efficient Mortgages

Expanding the use of Energy Efficient Mortgages will simplify the process of obtaining and financing 

energy retrofits at a home’s point of sale. This effort will also work to lower the cost of home energy 

audits as well as the monthly financing payments, and ensure that retrofits are accurately valued in the 

appraisal process. Federal Departments and Agencies will work collaboratively to: advance a standard 

home energy performance measure and more uniform underwriting procedures; develop procedures for 

more accurate home energy appraisals; and streamline the energy audit process. 

Expand State Revolving Loan Funds

Expanding state revolving loan funds from 16 states to all 50 states will leverage private capital and 

achieve economies of scale necessary to produce consistent and affordable loan products. This will 

allow consumers to borrow money for home energy retrofits from private firms at lower interest rates. 

In addition to funding new programs through the Recovery Act, the Federal Government will work to 

provide examples of successful revolving loan programs and technical assistance to states without 

revolving loan programs in order to encourage their adoption.

Mobilize a Well-Trained National Energy Retrofit Workforce and Expand Good, Green Job 

Opportunities for All American Workers

Establish National Workforce Certifications and Training Standards

A uniform set of national standards to qualify energy efficiency and retrofit workers and industry 

training providers will establish the foundation of consumer confidence that work will be completed 

correctly and produce the expected energy savings and benefits. Consistent high-level national 

standards will spur the utilization of qualified training providers that offer career-track programs for 

people of all skill levels, promote and expand green jobs opportunities, and facilitate the mobilization of 

a national home retrofit workforce. Federal Departments and Agencies (including the Department of 

Labor, the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the 

Environmental Protection Agency) will work in collaboration to assess existing standards and training 

programs and develop consistent models, guides, and best practices for training and certification. The 

Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, and the Small Business Administration will 

assist in implementing the best practices developed by the other Departments and Agencies.

These recommendations do not involve spending large new sums of Federal dollars in our fiscallyconstrained environment. Rather, they focus on removing information barriers, transaction costs, 
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liquidity constraints, and other market failures that often prevent homeowners from making investments 

that have both private and social benefits. 

Moving Forward

To ensure that the recommendations in this Report are implemented, CEQ will convene an interagency

Energy Retrofit Working Group, which will be chaired by the Department of Energy, the Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, and the 

Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to implementing the recommendations and proposed 

actions of this Recovery Through Retrofit effort, the Working Group will track its progress and operate 

as the single point of contact for the successful implementation of this effort. Within thirty days, the

Working Group will submit an implementation plan to the Vice President. Additional strategies will 

also be developed to expand the retrofit market to rental housing. Moreover, the Working Group will 

report to the Vice President regularly on its progress towards implementing each of the 

recommendations identified in this Report.
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Introduction

On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, at a Middle Class Task Force meeting, Vice President Biden charged the 

White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) with developing a proposal for Federal action 

that will grow green job opportunities and boost energy savings by retrofitting homes for energy 

efficiency. In response to this charge, CEQ has facilitated an interagency process with the Office of the 

Vice President to develop this Report—involving eleven Departments and Agencies and six White 

House Offices. This Report contains a set of recommendations for specific Federal actions, which

address the market and non-market barriers that have prevented the home retrofit market from achieving 

national-scale. The following Departments and Agencies contributed to this Report and participated in 

drafting the recommendations:

Office of the Vice President

Department of Agriculture

Department of Commerce

Department of Education

Department of Energy

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development

Department of Labor

Department of Treasury

Environmental Protection Agency

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission 

General Services Administration

Small Business Administration

Executive Office of the President

Council of Economic Advisers

Domestic Policy Council

National Economic Council

Office of Management and 

Budget

Office of Public Engagement and 

Intergovernmental Affairs

Office of Science and 

Technology Policy

A Strategic Plan for Recovery Through Retrofit

Market Barrier 1: Consumers need reliable home retrofitting information to 

make informed decisions

Consistent, accessible, and trusted information is a critical element to building a robust, energy efficient 

home retrofit market in the United States. This information must provide consumers with a reliable 

benchmark for energy efficiency and sound estimates of the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits. 

Currently, there are a variety of energy performance rating tools in the home retrofit market, each one 

supplying different information and performance predictions. The lack of a standard rating causes great 

confusion for consumers. Without some level of standardization combined with an effort to increase 

recognition and awareness, energy efficiency retrofits will likely remain a niche product, keeping 

consumer demand low and investors out of the market.
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Solution 1: We must provide straightforward and credible information to 

American homeowners on the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits

The Federal Government already promotes an energy efficiency measure that helps consumers save 

money by identifying appliances and other household products that use less energy. The ENERGY 

STAR®program is a proven solution that has helped to revolutionize the market for cost-effective, 

energy efficient products. With the help of ENERGY STAR® Americans saved $19 billion on their 

utility bills last year. We propose to do for homes what ENERGY STAR®has done for appliances so 

homeowners know that retrofits will bring their home to a recognized and trusted standard of energy 

efficiency and home buyers, lenders, and realtors have an easy way to understand the energy 

performance of homes. To get there, we must take two steps:

Develop Energy Performance Label for Homes

When consumers see the ENERGY STAR®label on a dishwasher or a refrigerator, they know they are 

getting an energy efficient product and they can take the savings into account as they decide what to 

purchase. New homes can qualify for an ENERGY STAR®label but there is no similar label for 

existing homes that have undergone retrofits. The Federal Government will develop a home

performance label for existing homes. The label will be based on the national home energy performance 

measure described below, and it will be developed in partnership with industry leaders, realtors, and 

efficiency advocates to promote widespread adoption. The end result will be an easily recognizable 

benchmark that auditors, retrofitters, lenders, realtors, and consumers can use to compare home energy 

performance and identify the most efficient homes. 

The new home performance label should be accompanied by a national marketing campaign to increase 

consumer awareness and expand the demand for home energy retrofits. This campaign should build on 

the marketing that Federal Government already does in conjunction with the ENERGY STAR®label on 

products and the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®program for whole-home retrofits. The 

national marketing campaign will help homeowners find reliable sources of information on how to 

improve their homes and quality, skilled contractors to do the work. 

Develop a Standardized Home Energy Performance Measure

We cannot develop an energy performance label for existing homes without first developing a 

standardized home energy performance measure that is applicable to every home in America. The 

measure will make it much easier for consumers to understand how much they can save by investing in 

retrofitting. A uniform and nationally-recognized measure could be incorporated in home appraisals at 

the point of sale and utilized in energy retrofit transactions, which would spur new interest in the retrofit 

industry from large-scale suppliers and institutional lenders. 

The Department of Energy (DOE) is currently working with the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other Agencies to design a 

standard energy performance measure and related tools to meet this need. The Federal Housing 

Administration (FHA) will work to link the new energy performance measure to its redesigned Energy 
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Efficient Mortgage products. DOE will promote adoption of a national energy performance measure 

through its advisory role to States and will encourage the use of a common national standard. 

Market Barrier 2: The costs of home retrofit projects are beyond the average 

homeowner’s budget

High upfront costs and a lack of credit and financing options dissuade many homeowners from 

completing or even considering energy efficiency home retrofits. Many homeowners are 

understandably concerned with how to fund these key improvements. The Recovery Act began to 

address these issues by extending and expanding a 30% tax credit for investment in residential energy 

efficiency property, up to a cap of $1,500 per primary residence over 2 years. Other existing financing 

tools, while successful in some local markets, have not succeeded in making significant inroads in the 

market at large. Because home buyers lack information about the payoffs associated with increasing a 

home’s energy efficiency and because the industry does not properly incentivize retrofits that pay-off 

over long periods of time, homeowners often do not recoup the actual value of their energy efficiency

investments when they sell. The solution is to make financing more transparent, more accessible, 

repayable over a longer time period, and overall, more consumer-friendly. 

Solution 2: We must make it easy for homeowners to identify and access home 

energy retrofit financing tools and products

Today, the Recovery Act is already making it easier for homeowners to access home energy retrofit 

financing. A number of states are currently leveraging the Department of Energy’s Recovery Act funds 

to support long lasting job creation and the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency 

technologies. For example, the State Energy Program (SEP) offers states the opportunity to encourage 

renewable energy and energy efficiency projects through their state’s financing mechanisms, such as 

revolving loan funds. For example, Kansas plans on spending over $34 million to establish a lowinterest revolving loan fund to finance cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in homes and 

small commercial and industrial buildings. In addition, Nebraska plans on spending $11 million to 

create a revolving loan fund to provide low-interest financing to deploy energy efficient building 

technologies to the residential, public, commercial and industrial building sectors. Lastly, Florida plans 

on spending $10 million to create a low-interest solar loan program that will provide capital to deploy 

commercially available solar water heaters to Florida residents. These are just a few examples of how 

Recovery Act funding is currently creating green jobs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, at the 

state level.
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Support Municipal Energy Financing

The high turnover rate of housing in the United States has proven to be a significant problem when it 

comes to financing home retrofits. The debt accrued by a retrofit is tied to the individual making the 

investment, rather than the home itself, even though the savings are passed on to the next owner of the 

home. This means that retrofits frequently don’t pay for themselves before the homeowner who took the 

initiative moves. As a result, people are less inclined to invest in home retrofitting. In recent years, a

number of innovative financing mechanisms have been implemented by municipalities that permit 

property owners to request financing for energy retrofits or renewable energy systems secured by a 

special tax assessment on the property. These mechanisms tie the retrofitting loan to the property 

instead of the individual, permitting the energy retrofit assessment to be paid off in annual installments 

as part of the property’s usual property tax bill. 

The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs enable the costs for energy efficiency 

retrofits to be added to an owner’s property tax bill as part of a municipal property tax assessment, 

which takes the same priority as traditional property tax liens and assessments. 

PACE programs are designed to overcome several barriers that may otherwise impede property owners 

from making energy investments. These barriers include: (1) limited access to capital; (2) high 

transaction costs; (3) lack of information on the part of home buyers that leads them to undervalue 

efficiency investments; and (4) potential downstream home sale, all of which may dissuade property 

owners from taking on debt that might not be fully recovered by energy savings before the property is 

sold.

PACE programs address these barriers by providing access to capital that might be otherwise limited to 

homeowners. PACE provides beneficial financial terms, streamlines the application process with lower 

application and transaction fees relative to other lending options, and establishes a financing mechanism 

in which that debt obligation is tied to the property and the owners receiving the energy savings benefits.

Along with the exciting potential of PACE programs for energy retrofits, homeowners and mortgage 

lenders can encounter certain risks if the programs are not implemented correctly. Building on the 

expertise of the Federal Government, the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, and the Department of the Treasury will announce new principles for PACE program 

design. Moving forward, Federal Agencies will work in partnership with state and local governments to 

establish standardized underwriting criteria and safeguards to protect consumers and minimize financial 

risks to homeowners and mortgage lenders. 

A Federal role to encourage PACE pilot programs will also facilitate the collection of data, objectively 

measure and evaluate the performance of PACE programs, and speed the adoption of more detailed, 

uniform ―Best Practices‖ that include robust and effective homeowner and lender protections. Further 

research can then assess the efficacy of PACE programs, including the cost-effectiveness of energy 

retrofits, reductions in greenhouse gases, and economic impacts on community spending and green job 

creation.
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DOE will be funding model PACE projects, which will incorporate the new principles for PACE 

program design. Under the State Energy Program, DOE has received approximately $80 million of 

applications for PACE-type programs to provide upfront capital, out of nearly $3.1 billion in total 

funding available. Smaller PACE-like programs may also be funded through the Energy Efficiency 

Conservation Block Grant Programs. Funding at these levels will encourage pilots of PACE programs, 

with more developed homeowner and lender protections than have been provided to date.

Improve Energy Efficient Mortgages

Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) enable home buyers and homeowners refinancing their properties

to add energy efficiency upgrades and improvements to their properties as part of the underlying 

mortgage financing transaction. This permits the energy retrofits to be financed over a longer period of 

time, with lower monthly payments. Energy improvements are typically identified as part of a Home 

Energy Rating or energy audit and must be cost effective, generating energy savings that are equal to or 

greater than the costs of the improvements over the useful life of the improvement. 

Historically, there have been significant barriers to widespread utilization of Energy Efficient 

Mortgages. A four-part solution is proposed to expand and increase the effectiveness of Energy Efficient 

Mortgages: 

1. To lower transaction costs, EPA and DOE will advance a standard home energy 

performance measure that can be used to easily rate the energy performance of a 

home; 

2. Federal Agencies will work with the home energy rating and home performance 

industries, as well as states, municipalities and utilities to streamline the energy audit 

and the home energy ratings process, and expand consumer education and lender 

awareness of the product; 

3. To the extent feasible, HUD will work with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to 

establish uniform procedures for Energy Efficient Mortgage products; and

4. Federal Agencies will work with the home appraisal industry to develop procedures 

for appraisals to more accurately reflect energy efficiency.

These enhancements are aimed at boosting the volume of Energy Efficient Mortgages. States, cities, or 

counties can also use their Recovery Act funds to provide credit enhancements and implement other 

initiatives to boost EEMs. 

Expand State Revolving Loan Funds

A Revolving Loan Fund is a funding mechanism that enables loans to be provided to pay for an energy 

retrofit project’s upfront capital costs. Once the energy retrofit is completed, the principal and interest 

on the loan, along with any financed transaction costs, are paid from the energy savings generated from 

the project. As energy retrofit loans are paid off, the funds are constantly ―revolving‖ – being used, 

earned back, and reinvested, thus sustaining the fund over time.
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Revolving Loan Funds for energy efficiency retrofits in homes already exist in 16 states. However, they 

are presently too diverse for private sector suppliers, installers, retail lenders and secondary loan markets 

to realize economies of scale, which would lower transaction costs. Conforming efficiency loans will be 

required to bring down capital costs and create sustainable secondary loan funding. Such conforming 

measures should require: (1) similar loan lengths up to 15 years, so monthly payments are greatly 

reduced; (2) standard approved products linked to ENERGY STAR®; (3) common procedures with 

product tiers installed in logical order, linked via Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®; and (4) 

standardized home energy performance measures and data protocols, so that both loan performance and 

retrofit performance can be measured accurately over time.

The Federal Government will also work to encourage the development of revolving loan funds in all 50 

states. State revolving loan funds produce consistent and affordable loan products, allowing consumers 

to borrow money for home energy retrofits at lower interest rates. These efforts will create reliable, easy 

to close, unsecured loan products in every jurisdiction and mobilize private sector funds and achieve 

economies of scale in installation costs, transaction costs, and persuasive marketing efforts. In order to 

encourage development of state revolving loan funds in all 50 states, the Department of Energy will also 

provide technical assistance to states without revolving loan programs in order to encourage their 

adoption. Finally, existing funding through the Recovery Act can be used to expand current and create 

new revolving loan fund programs throughout the country.

Market Barrier 3: Increase the number of skilled workers and green 

entrepreneurs to successfully expand efficiency retrofit programs on a nationalscale

To achieve the desired scale of efficient and healthy home retrofits, a sizable increase in the number of 

well-trained green retrofit workers is needed. Many states and localities are looking for guidance and 

information on how to both streamline and rapidly expand quality training opportunities for those 

looking to enter the home energy retrofit industry. Furthermore, there is no clear guideline or standard 

to assure consumers of the quality of the work being done on their home. A consistent set of standards 

will increase consumer confidence in energy retrofit workers, promote good green job opportunities and 

training opportunities for people of all skill levels, and facilitate the mobilization of a national home 

retrofit workforce. 

In addition, a lack of business skills training has been a barrier to the widespread success of efficiency 

retrofits programs. Business skills training and business development must therefore be a key 

component of any large-scale efficiency retrofit workforce capacity development initiative to ensure that 

a commercially viable effort can be maintained by small- and medium-sized businesses in the open 

market over the long-term. Developing a workforce equipped with both technical and business skills 

will improve the rate of success for small efficiency retrofit businesses and increase the ability to 

respond to rising retrofit demand. This will enable sustained economic and green job growth while 

achieving further energy savings and healthy homes.
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Solution 3: Mobilize a skilled national energy retrofit workforce and 

expand good, green job opportunities for all American workers

Develop Consistent Workforce Certifications and Training Standards

To rapidly expand retrofit capacity, a national effort is needed to conclusively identify required job skills 

upon which certification standards will be based, and develop standard training goals or methods. The 

availability of model training programs based around best practices will lower the barriers to entry for 

programs needed to train workers, allowing an expanded offering of quality training opportunities. The 

widespread adoption of model training approaches will also facilitate the development of a well-trained 

workforce across the country, which will improve energy and environmental outcomes, enable worker 

mobility, and enhance career opportunities. In addition, as outlined in the Surgeon General’s Call to 

Action To Promote Healthy Homes,

[1] healthy and environmentally friendly housing education should be 

incorporated in weatherization training programs. Proper certification and training standards will ensure 

that retrofitted homes are healthy homes.

To facilitate consistent, high-quality training of a green retrofit workforce, the Federal Government will: 

1. Advance a nationally recognized worker certification standard for comprehensive 

training that provides evidence that a worker is well qualified to properly complete 

efficiency and healthy home retrofits. 

2. Promote a nationally recognized training accreditation standard to enable students to 

identify trainers with a demonstrated capacity to provide quality instruction.

3. Develop and deploy model training programs for workers, including preapprenticeship and other programs that serve as onramps for lower skilled workers, 

provide clear pathways to career track jobs, and assist training providers in ramping up 

training capacity efficiently and effectively. 

4. Leverage existing workplace training, labor management partnerships, and other 

public-private partnerships and the local presence of Federal Agencies in communities 

to link workforce training to job opportunities.

5. Provide business development support and business skills training to improve the rate 

of success for small efficiency retrofit businesses and to engage both small businesses 

and larger contractors in entering the retrofit market to build an industry at scale. This 

support should also include a focus on making sure small businesses and minority

and/or women owned businesses have a seat at the table.

To ensure that efficiency retrofit training programs translate into thriving efficiency retrofit businesses, 

the Federal Government will use its resources to make business skills a critical component of efficiency 

retrofit training. By combining industry-specific business skills training with industry-specific jobs 

skills training, the Federal Government can help provide a steady stream of skilled retrofit workers, and 

a steady stream of healthy small and medium-sized retrofit businesses ready to hire these workers. 

 

[1] For the full report, see: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/healthyhomes/index.html
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Federal Departments and Agencies, including: the Department of Labor, the Department of Energy, the 

Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency will work in 

collaboration to assess existing standards and training programs and develop consistent models, guides, 

and best practices for training and certification. The Department of Education, the Department of 

Commerce, and the Small Business Administration will assist in implementing the best practices 

developed by the other Departments and Agencies.

Implementation

CEQ will convene an interagency Energy Retrofit Working Group chaired by the Department of Energy, 

Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, 

and the Environmental Protection Agency, to implement the recommendations and proposed actions of 

this Recovery Through Retrofit effort and track its progress. The Working Group will operate as the 

single point of contact for the successful implementation of this effort. Within thirty days, the Working 

Group will submit an implementation plan to the Vice President. In addition, the Working Group will 

report to the Vice President regularly on the progress towards implementing each of the 

recommendations identified in this Report. Additional strategies will also be developed to expand the 

retrofit market to rental housing.

Further, Federal Agencies will collaborate with local communities to test business models and develop 

best practices for encouraging energy efficiency programs that address the three key market failures 

identified in this Report. 

Conclusion

Coordinated and principled Federal actions, like those described in this Report, in partnership with 

states, cities, counties, and the existing home energy industry, may be able to tackle the challenges faced 

by the current retrofit market. These recommendations can pave the way for a self-sustaining retrofit 

market, a market that can reliably cut energy bills while also creating good green jobs and saving 

consumers money. We can build on the foundation of the Recovery Act to jumpstart a thriving, private

market for energy efficient and healthy home retrofitting that will put thousands of people back to work 

while also reducing our impact on the environment.