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- Oct 5, 2007
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Clean Energy and Security Act brings auditors into your home
H.R. 2454 is a 1400-page promise to audit every aspect of your home and life under the guise of creating jobs, clean energy and a sustainable world. However, before we get into the bill lets examine the way its been handled.
The secrecy of the bill and the speed of which the legislation is being railroaded is quite alarming. The last two times Ive seen this was with the Patriot Act and TARP legislation.
Congressman Ron Paul told the Washington Times that no one was allowed to read the Patriot Act, and for that, we received one of the most anti-American legislations weve ever seen. Complete with secret arrests, indefinite detentions and forced DNA collection from suspected terrorists.
TARP had similar shenanigans, it was rushed through the house, no one could read it and threats of Marshal Law were made. Rep. Brad Sherman tells us in the clip what happened behind closed doors.
Senator James Inhofe later revealed on a Tulsa Talk Show the US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson was behind the Martial Law threat. The bill passed and TARP and other bailout schemes are currently at $13.9 trillion. It promised jobs, growth and economic recovery. Unemployment rates continue to sky rocket and most economists will tell you we are already in a depression.
There are several problems with this bill, however Ill only address the first two, as the third is self-explanatory;
1) The bill makes the assumption that man-made climate change is undisputed and widely accepted as fact.
2) The bill unleashes bureaucrats to audit and judge your lifestyle.
3) The bill will drive the last remaining manufacturing jobs out of the country to unregulated countries.
Let's examine these claims closer.
Man-made climate change is a myth
I cannot explain it any better than this short 8-minute clip from the documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle. The first few minutes of this clip covers a small portion of internet inventor Al Gores documentary An Inconvenient Truth. It briefly covers his thesis of CO2 levels are directly related to temperature levels. Therefore our release of carbon dioxide from coal, cars and energy is heating the Earth. The second half is followed by hard science and facts. Please take just a few minutes to view this video.
Just to recap, CO2 levels climb several hundred years after a cyclical rise in temperature, its as simple as that. What about Gores convincing graph you ask? Two things, lets assume Gore is correct, lets flip his reasoning, lets say temperature rising causes CO2 to rise. Perhaps the sun is responsible? Just a thought on the way to read his graph if you insist on claiming he is right. The second issue is the scientists cherry-picked the tree ring temperature history data to fit Gores story. They did not use the ice core samples he claimed in his movie. When confronted about these findings, the scientist replied, You have to pick cherries if your are going to make cherry pie.
Although some will still not believe those findings, there is undoubtedly enough evidence to merit a discussion or debate. No debate ever took place and questioning the climate-change science is not tolerated well. In fact, The London Telegraph printed an article stating climate change denial should be considered a mental disorder. Al Gore commonly responds to the opposition with, There are also people who believe the moon landing took place in a studio in Arizona too. Therefore insinuating the skeptics and opposition are conspiracy theorists. No conspiracy theorists here AG, just conspiracy fact.
Home Audit: A Look into the Future
The bill states every home owner will receive an energy audit. What is a home energy audit? It is an intrusive visit made by the bureaucrats at the Home Energy Team or a similar group. They will examine and report the way you live your life directly to RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) . Light fixtures, socket types, spas, hot tubs, windows, appliances, walls and roofs will all be under review. Energy tests will be conducted throughout your house. At the end of the visit you will receive a report and a rating. The report will focus on the changes you need to make and the rating is called a HERS rating (Home Energy Rating System). RESNET will perform the audits through authorized contractors. RESNET has adopted the Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating Standards. The standards set the national procedures for home energy ratings.
According to RESNET, an audit consists of:
Comprehensive Home Energy Audit - A level of the RESNET Home Energy Audit process defined by this standard to include the evaluation, diagnosis and proposed treatment of an existing home. The Comprehensive Home Energy Audit may be based on a Home Performance Assessment (Comprehensive Home Performance Energy Audit) or Home Energy Rating (Comprehensive HERS Audit), in accordance with the criteria established by this Standard. A homeowner may elect to go through this process with or without a prior Home Energy Survey or Diagnostic Home Energy Survey.
Here is an in-depth breakdown of the audit:
704.1.2.3 The Home Energy Survey Professional shall request copies of utility bills or
written permission to obtain the energy use information from the utility company, and use
them to produce an estimate of generalized end-uses (base, heating, and cooling).
704.1.2.5. Minimum Procedures for an In-Home Energy Survey:
704.1.2.5.1.1 R-values of wall/ceiling/floor insulation
704.1.2.5.1.2 Square footage and approximate age of home
704.1.2.5.1.3 Type of windows: glazing type(s) and frame material(s)
704.1.2.5.1.4 Type, model number, and location of heating/cooling system(s)
704.1.2.5.1.5 Type of ductwork, location and R-value of duct insulation, and any
indications of previous duct sealing
704.1.2.5.1.6 Type of foundation is crawl, basement, or slab
704.1.2.5.1.7 Checklist of common air-leakage sites indicating likely opportunities
for leakage reduction
704.1.2.5.1.8 Estimated age and efficiency of major appliances such as
dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines and dryers
704.1.2.5.1.9 Number and type of hardwired light fixtures and screw-in bulbs in
portable lamps suitable for energy efficient re-lamping
704.1.2.5.1.10 Visual indications of condensation
704.1.2.5.1.11 Presence and location of exhaust fans, and determination of whether
they are vented outdoors
704.1.2.5.1.12 Number and type of water fixtures (e.g. faucets, showerheads)
704.1.2.5.1.13 Presence and type(s) of combustion equipment; identification of
visually identifiable evidence of flame rollout, blocked chimney, and corroded or
missing vent connector.
There is no doubt homes need to be more efficient, however, this audit will drain the pockets of the unlucky people whose houses are older and/or cheaply made due to builder irresponsibility. Lets say your builder used cheap windows, very little insulation or a high-water toilet, the cost of those upgrades will be in the thousands of dollars. By making the recommended changes, you will receive a tax credit for improvements made under the energy star program. Please note, most rebates are 30% of cost, maximum $1500. Good luck if your central air is deemed unacceptable. After the upgrades are completed, you must have the auditors back out to your property for a final inspection. Early reports of denying audits carry a misdemeanor charge and a $2000 fine for each count. The more you deny, the more you pay.
As mentioned before, we do need clean energy, less fossil fuel, more efficient homes and cars, but not this way. Make no mistake, we do have real environmental crises; drugs in the water, cloning, species extinction, genocide and genetically modified food are all very real. Lets focus on those, before you focus on the kind of faucet I have in the bathroom. Recycle, walk, ride a bike from time-to-time, open your windows, tune-up your car and plant a garden, but please, stay out of my house!
Contact your Senator and tell them to vote this down or youll vote them out.
H.R. 2454 is a 1400-page promise to audit every aspect of your home and life under the guise of creating jobs, clean energy and a sustainable world. However, before we get into the bill lets examine the way its been handled.
The secrecy of the bill and the speed of which the legislation is being railroaded is quite alarming. The last two times Ive seen this was with the Patriot Act and TARP legislation.
Congressman Ron Paul told the Washington Times that no one was allowed to read the Patriot Act, and for that, we received one of the most anti-American legislations weve ever seen. Complete with secret arrests, indefinite detentions and forced DNA collection from suspected terrorists.
TARP had similar shenanigans, it was rushed through the house, no one could read it and threats of Marshal Law were made. Rep. Brad Sherman tells us in the clip what happened behind closed doors.
Senator James Inhofe later revealed on a Tulsa Talk Show the US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson was behind the Martial Law threat. The bill passed and TARP and other bailout schemes are currently at $13.9 trillion. It promised jobs, growth and economic recovery. Unemployment rates continue to sky rocket and most economists will tell you we are already in a depression.
There are several problems with this bill, however Ill only address the first two, as the third is self-explanatory;
1) The bill makes the assumption that man-made climate change is undisputed and widely accepted as fact.
2) The bill unleashes bureaucrats to audit and judge your lifestyle.
3) The bill will drive the last remaining manufacturing jobs out of the country to unregulated countries.
Let's examine these claims closer.
Man-made climate change is a myth
I cannot explain it any better than this short 8-minute clip from the documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle. The first few minutes of this clip covers a small portion of internet inventor Al Gores documentary An Inconvenient Truth. It briefly covers his thesis of CO2 levels are directly related to temperature levels. Therefore our release of carbon dioxide from coal, cars and energy is heating the Earth. The second half is followed by hard science and facts. Please take just a few minutes to view this video.
Just to recap, CO2 levels climb several hundred years after a cyclical rise in temperature, its as simple as that. What about Gores convincing graph you ask? Two things, lets assume Gore is correct, lets flip his reasoning, lets say temperature rising causes CO2 to rise. Perhaps the sun is responsible? Just a thought on the way to read his graph if you insist on claiming he is right. The second issue is the scientists cherry-picked the tree ring temperature history data to fit Gores story. They did not use the ice core samples he claimed in his movie. When confronted about these findings, the scientist replied, You have to pick cherries if your are going to make cherry pie.
Although some will still not believe those findings, there is undoubtedly enough evidence to merit a discussion or debate. No debate ever took place and questioning the climate-change science is not tolerated well. In fact, The London Telegraph printed an article stating climate change denial should be considered a mental disorder. Al Gore commonly responds to the opposition with, There are also people who believe the moon landing took place in a studio in Arizona too. Therefore insinuating the skeptics and opposition are conspiracy theorists. No conspiracy theorists here AG, just conspiracy fact.
Home Audit: A Look into the Future
The bill states every home owner will receive an energy audit. What is a home energy audit? It is an intrusive visit made by the bureaucrats at the Home Energy Team or a similar group. They will examine and report the way you live your life directly to RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) . Light fixtures, socket types, spas, hot tubs, windows, appliances, walls and roofs will all be under review. Energy tests will be conducted throughout your house. At the end of the visit you will receive a report and a rating. The report will focus on the changes you need to make and the rating is called a HERS rating (Home Energy Rating System). RESNET will perform the audits through authorized contractors. RESNET has adopted the Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating Standards. The standards set the national procedures for home energy ratings.
According to RESNET, an audit consists of:
Comprehensive Home Energy Audit - A level of the RESNET Home Energy Audit process defined by this standard to include the evaluation, diagnosis and proposed treatment of an existing home. The Comprehensive Home Energy Audit may be based on a Home Performance Assessment (Comprehensive Home Performance Energy Audit) or Home Energy Rating (Comprehensive HERS Audit), in accordance with the criteria established by this Standard. A homeowner may elect to go through this process with or without a prior Home Energy Survey or Diagnostic Home Energy Survey.
Here is an in-depth breakdown of the audit:
704.1.2.3 The Home Energy Survey Professional shall request copies of utility bills or
written permission to obtain the energy use information from the utility company, and use
them to produce an estimate of generalized end-uses (base, heating, and cooling).
704.1.2.5. Minimum Procedures for an In-Home Energy Survey:
704.1.2.5.1.1 R-values of wall/ceiling/floor insulation
704.1.2.5.1.2 Square footage and approximate age of home
704.1.2.5.1.3 Type of windows: glazing type(s) and frame material(s)
704.1.2.5.1.4 Type, model number, and location of heating/cooling system(s)
704.1.2.5.1.5 Type of ductwork, location and R-value of duct insulation, and any
indications of previous duct sealing
704.1.2.5.1.6 Type of foundation is crawl, basement, or slab
704.1.2.5.1.7 Checklist of common air-leakage sites indicating likely opportunities
for leakage reduction
704.1.2.5.1.8 Estimated age and efficiency of major appliances such as
dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines and dryers
704.1.2.5.1.9 Number and type of hardwired light fixtures and screw-in bulbs in
portable lamps suitable for energy efficient re-lamping
704.1.2.5.1.10 Visual indications of condensation
704.1.2.5.1.11 Presence and location of exhaust fans, and determination of whether
they are vented outdoors
704.1.2.5.1.12 Number and type of water fixtures (e.g. faucets, showerheads)
704.1.2.5.1.13 Presence and type(s) of combustion equipment; identification of
visually identifiable evidence of flame rollout, blocked chimney, and corroded or
missing vent connector.
There is no doubt homes need to be more efficient, however, this audit will drain the pockets of the unlucky people whose houses are older and/or cheaply made due to builder irresponsibility. Lets say your builder used cheap windows, very little insulation or a high-water toilet, the cost of those upgrades will be in the thousands of dollars. By making the recommended changes, you will receive a tax credit for improvements made under the energy star program. Please note, most rebates are 30% of cost, maximum $1500. Good luck if your central air is deemed unacceptable. After the upgrades are completed, you must have the auditors back out to your property for a final inspection. Early reports of denying audits carry a misdemeanor charge and a $2000 fine for each count. The more you deny, the more you pay.
As mentioned before, we do need clean energy, less fossil fuel, more efficient homes and cars, but not this way. Make no mistake, we do have real environmental crises; drugs in the water, cloning, species extinction, genocide and genetically modified food are all very real. Lets focus on those, before you focus on the kind of faucet I have in the bathroom. Recycle, walk, ride a bike from time-to-time, open your windows, tune-up your car and plant a garden, but please, stay out of my house!
Contact your Senator and tell them to vote this down or youll vote them out.
