Subject: TAKE ACTION to Support Efficient Home Tax Credit

From: Alliance to Save Energy <AlliancetoSaveEnergy@ase.org>

Your immediate help is needed to secure Congressional action on a proposed 2,000 tax credit for energy- efficient homes.

Representative Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) and Representatives of both parties have introduced H.R. 1358, the Energy Efficient Affordable Home Act of 1999. This important bill will promote more efficient housing by creating tax credits for including energy-saving technologies in new homes and for pre grading the efficiency of existing homes. It is similar to the Clinton-Gore administration's proposed efficient housing tax credit; it is designed to be practical for consumers and home builders alike.

To qualify for the tax credit homes have to be 30 percent more efficient than code (more precisely, the International Energy Conservation Code). Builders of new homes meeting this standard would qualify for a credit of $2,000 per dwelling. Owners of existing homes can also qualify for a credit of up to $2,000. The credit would be available for the next five years.

American homes account for one-sixth of the nation's "greenhouse gas" emissions and the average home produces twice the carbon dioxide pollution of the average car. By improving the energy efficiency of homes by at least 30 percent, those emissions could be significantly reduced. The Thomas tax credit will go a long way to spurring the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and permanently transforming the home construction marketplace.

The bill is strongly supported not only by the Alliance but also by the National Association of Home Builders, the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, the Edison Electric Institute and dozens of leading companies and public interest groups.

Show your support for H.R. 1358 by urging your representative to support the bill. Below is a sample letter that you can use to contact your representative by letter, fax, or e-mail. To locate your representative's address, visit http://congress.org/search.html. To learn more about H.R. 1358 visit http://www.ase.org/takeaction/index.htm.

If you have any questions please contact Alliance policy director Dave Hamilton at dham@ase.org or Alliance buildings program director Bill Prindle at bprindle@ase.org. Thanks for your support.

May 11, 1999

The Honorable _____________

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative _____________,

I write to urge you to please cosponsor and support H.R. 1358, the Energy Efficient Affordable Home Act of 1999, originally sponsored earlier this year by Rep. Bill Thomas.

This bill would make homes more affordable for millions of American families by providing an up-front tax credit and by lowering monthly utility bills for years to come.

Two top priorities for protecting our nation's environment are making consumers aware of how their daily activities create pollution, and getting them to opt for less polluting options when given a choice. H.R. 1358 furthers both goals by giving incentives for the construction of new homes that are highly energy-efficient, and for the substantial upgrade of the energy- efficiency of existing homes.

Many people don't understand that their home is a bigger polluter than their car. The tax credit for highly efficient homes will get the attention of both builders and homeowners, and begin to shift the composition of our housing stock toward homes that operate more cleanly and pollute less. The tax credit will accomplish this while also cutting taxes and lowering heating and cooling bills.

Tax incentives such as those in H.R. 1358 can help us address growing environmental problems on both a national and global level with less restrictive regulations. Please cosponsor this important bill and make every effort to help it pass.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

[Name, Address and phone number]