New "Green for Green" rebate for newly-built homes in Delaware
Buyers of new home construction in Delaware may be eligible for rebates of $3,000 to $6,000 to upgrade their homes to national "green" building standards.
DNREC, the Home Builders Association of Delaware and the Sustainable Energy Utility announced the "Green4Green" program on June 10 along with Governor Jack Markell. The program covers all or part of the extra cost of upgrading a home to energy-efficiency standards certifiable by the National Association of Home Builders' Green Building Standards or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The amount of the rebate depends on the level of the upgrade.
The program will create construction and related jobs and contribute about $22 million to the Delaware economy. Building to LEED-H or to the NGBS Silver or Gold standard will produce significant energy savings for homeowners and reduce energy consumption of nearly 10 million kilowatt hours over the next 30 years.
“Improving energy efficiency is both financially and environmentally responsible,” Governor Markell said during the program launch. “We want smarter, more sustainable home building that drives down energy use and energy cost. By encouraging green building, we are creating new opportunities in the building industry and ultimately, new jobs.”
The program is funded with $300,000 in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) dollars and will be used to upgrade approximately 80 new homes.
For more information on the program and how to participate through your qualified home builder, go to www.degreen4green.com.
