The Zero-emission Homes Act Will Make the Economic, Environmental, and Health Benefits of Electrification Affordable and Accessible to All Americans
Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined 11 Senate colleagues in introducing the Zero-Emission Homes Act to provide rebates for the purchase and installation of electric appliances and equipment in single-family homes and multifamily buildings, with additional support for low- and moderate- income households.
“Climate change is having a dramatic and dangerous effect on Colorado communities,” said Bennet. “In order to take bold climate action and meet science-based emissions reduction targets, we need to help America’s households reduce their carbon pollution while lowering their energy bills. Right now, households account for nearly half of U.S. energy-related emissions. Our legislation makes purchasing and installing electric appliances more affordable to save families money and help tackle climate change.
The Zero-Emission Homes Act:
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Makes electrification easier and more affordable for all Americans to meet our climate targets.
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Defines products and projects associated with household electrification as "qualified electrification projects" or "QEPs."
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Establishes a Zero-Emission Homes Program that provides households with rebates for the purchase and installation of QEPs. The federal zero-emission home program would provide up to $10,000 in immediate price relief for the purchase and installation of select QEPs with additional amounts for low-and-moderate income (LMI) households and multifamily buildings.
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Clean, electric appliances for heating, cooling, cooking, and other household functions are available now and, in most instances, perform as well, if not better, than their fossil-fuel counterparts. Electric appliances also avoid the harmful health effects -- such as childhood asthma -- increasingly associated with the burning of fossil fuels in homes.
Electrification also offers enormous economic opportunities. According to a new report from the non-profit Rewiring America, Bringing Infrastructure Home: A 50-State Report on U.S. Home Electrification, 85% of households in America would save money on monthly energy bills today if they were using modern all-electric equipment. At least 57% of households in New Mexico — 447,000 — could save $131 million a year on energy bills. The savings would be biggest for the 341,000 households in New Mexico who are currently using electric resistance, fuel oil, or propane and would save $385 per year on average. Manufacturing, installing, and servicing these appliances would also create over one million new jobs with the potential to pay family-sustaining wages, with installer and servicing jobs distributed across America.
In addition to Bennet, the Zero-Emission Homes Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). The bill has received widespread support from nearly 200 organizations and nonprofits.
A one pager of the bill and a list of endorsing organizations is available HERE. The bill text is available HERE.