Building Codes Assistance Project

On August 7, 2009, Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) co-sponsored bi-partisan legislation (S. 1637) in the U.S. Senate to extend the $2,000 tax credit for energy efficient homes (which is set to expire on January 1, 2010 unless extended by Congress) to December 31, 2012 and create a $5,000 credit for homes that use 50% less whole house energy than the 2004 IECC (50 HERS Index).

S.1637 has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

The legislation also:

• Creates a $200 tax credit for the cost of a home energy rating
• Creates a $500 tax credit for the cost of training and certifying home performance auditors to conduct home energy ratings
• Increases the amount of the tax incentive for commercial buildings to $3.00 per square foot

More information: Bill Text (introduced) | U.S. Library of Congress (Thomas)