Replacement Windows Get Presidential Backing
Recently the President outlined an economic recovery plan that saves tax payers money, stimulates the economy, and helps the global environment all at the same time. A plan that truly is brilliant in its concept and design. The plan is fairly simple, and of all things requires homeowners to spend. It’s an old government cliché to tell us to spend our way to new economic stability, but this time the plan has very sound structure and merit beyond simple spending. It also requires little in the way of tax money other then the tax credits that will be afforded those that are eligible.
In the President’s plan he recommends that home owners should spend money on home improvements such as new windows and doors, upgrading insulation and roofing materials, and replacing older inefficient heating systems and appliances. Now you may say that you have heard all this before, the government telling us to spend, spend, and spend. That doing so will save us all and bolster the economy. For the first time ever that our government’s plan has recommended spending as a way to economic recovery the reasoning and areas involved actually make a sound case for the concept.
Here I’d like to quote President Obama from a recent speech he gave at what I believe to be a Home Depot. And I quote
“In our nations building, our homes and our offices consume almost forty percent of the energy we use and contribute almost 40
percent of the carbon pollution that we produce, and everybody's talking about it right now in Copenhagen.
Homes built in the first half of the last century can use about fifty percent more energy than homes built today. And because most of our homes and offices aren’t energy efficient much of that energy just goes to waste, while costing our families and business money they can’t afford to throw away.
The simple act of retrofitting these buildings to make them more energy efficient, installing new windows and doors, isolation, roofing, sealing leaks, modernizing heating and cooling equipment is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest things we can do to put Americans back to work while saving money and reducing harmful emissions.”
Recently I published an article Entitled “Replacement Windows Make Big Difference in Home Values” in which I outlined a very similar plan by which America could get back on track economically. I don’t know, maybe the President read it, and seeing it as a sound Idea, decided to use it as the basis for his new proposal. If so, that’s great, I don’t mind at all.
What’s really important is that consumers, especially home owners take to heart what is contained both in the mentioned article and in the President’s new economic consumer spending plan. I know that in the past, especially under “W” the idea of spending to recovery had little merit, other than to line political pockets. Mainly due to the types of spending that the public was asked to do.
But with the new approach, and justifications presented by the President for congress to implement new tax credits for home energy upgrade improvements, the tide of the economic recession I feel could be altered significantly if not turned around completely. Here are the key points.
The spending that is called for will keep the money spent at home, creating new jobs, saving energy and helping our environment. It’s a fact that the materials used in most structural home improvements are produced within our own boarders. Clarification being that the raw materials used to produce the doors, windows, insulation, roofing materials and other home improvement products are produces right here in the United States. Not all of them, but the biggest majority.
So consuming those materials, and making our homes and buildings more energy efficient not only saves energy and cuts down on global emissions, it creates a growth in our national commerce, spawning new jobs and increasing cash flow across the board.
The plan isn’t perfect, none ever are, but it makes a huge amount more sense than doing what “W” told everyone to do. “Go shopping” go to the mall, spend money, buy a new car. His spend to recovery plan seemed more appropriate as a way to go into debt faster plan then an economic recovery plan.
At least this spending to recovery plan has merit, where the other seemed more aimed at personal gratification, the Presidents new plan at least has sound ideals, founded in sound and provable economic principles.
So maybe it is time to think about replacement windows for your home. Don’t forget about the $1500 Tax credit you can get by doing one or more of the outline energy upgrades to your home. It may not pay the complete cost, but every little bit helps. I’m definitely not a big political activist, but I do think that The President got this one right.
Oh one last thing, in his speech, Mr. Obama said that he thought insulation was “sexy stuff” and what was sexy about it was saving money. Whether you agree that insulation is sexy or not, I think everyone would have to agree that saving money is a good thing.