Obama’s new program? Cash for caulkers. Hey, I did that the first thing when I moved in and have been incrementally improving home efficiencies since I moved in. Some of the projects would have been done regardless of the availability of tax credits since I’m saving money on heating. A couple tubes of caulk can cost $5 each. Spray foam is similarly priced. You can get R30 insulation for $20 a batt. So, for about $400 I added R30 insulation to the attic, bringing it up to close to R45, and sealed any leaks I could get to in the basement. That’s where the savings comes from, and tax credits or incentives to convert to more efficient homes isn’t actually going to create jobs. It’s just spreading the money around.

Oh, and I got a much more comfortable house in the process.