Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through Home Improvement Projects
A worker carries insulation at a new housing construction site in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2012. Two programs in the Inflation Reduction Act will offer federal tax rebates to subsidize home improvement projects that save energy or swap appliances to electric alternatives.
The Biden administration started taking applications Thursday for billions of dollars in federal tax rebates meant to flow through states to subsidize home improvement projects that save energy or swap fossil-fueled appliances to electric alternatives.
The combined spending in the two separate programs of President Joe Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act — one focused on energy-saving improvements like adding insulation or new windows, the other aimed at funding electrification like switching from gas-fired furnaces to heat pumps – totals more than $8.5 billion.
Emphasizing Sustainable Development Goals
“Energy savings and electrification upgrades like insulating your home, installing a heat pump, or upgrading to electric Energy Star appliances, lower monthly utility costs and lead to healthier homes,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. “Americans living in energy efficient, electrified homes bring us one step closer to a clean, safer future.”
Once called the “fifth fuel” because the total amount of energy wasted roughly equals a whole new source of energy, efficiency efforts are a vital part of reversing the damage emissions from Americans’ cars, homes and businesses cause to the planet’s climate systems. The new federal spending marks what is likely the biggest national investment in history — and how the money flows from federal coffers to homeowners this time will likely set the standard for how future funding is doled out.
The value of an air-tight home to keep cool, clean air inside is particularly acute for the millions of Americans forced indoors during the recent influx of wildfire smoke and the heat waves everywhere from Puerto Rico to states on both coasts and in between.
A heat pump is installed in an 80-year-old rowhouse in northwest Denver in early 2023.
Designing Effective Programs for Distribution
But success will ride on how state, territorial and tribal governments opt to design the programs for distributing the federal money.
In a 100-page regulatory document published Thursday afternoon, the Department of Energy detailed how it wants states to spend the money, establishing for the first time nationwide standards for measuring how much renovations shave off household utility bills and laying the groundwork for the U.S. to adopt a more modern, accurate method for cutting back on wasted energy.
Ahead of the announcement, advocates feared federal regulators may try to hasten how quickly the money was spent by giving states broad leeway to give out rebates for energy savings based on estimates rather than on measured reductions in energy usage.
There are two main types of programs for energy savings. One, called the modeled approach, is less precise but more widely used by various states, relying on contractors’ projections of how much energy renovations should save. The other, called a measured approach, is used only in California, but compares data on energy usage before and after renovations and pays out rebates based on actual savings.
Measured programs, by some estimates, end up saving more than twice as much energy as modeled ones.
States will need to indicate in applications to the Energy Department for funding whether the money would go through modeled, measured or both types of programs.
States’ decisions on whether to choose measured programs, which fewer have experience with and which require access to utility data, will depend in large part on the federal regulations, which dictate the way the federal funds are spent.
Unlike the last
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
The article discusses federal tax rebates for home improvement projects that save energy or switch appliances to electric alternatives. This aligns with SDG 7, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. It also relates to SDG 11, which focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Additionally, the article mentions the importance of energy efficiency in reducing emissions and reversing climate change, which connects to SDG 13.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
- SDG 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
- SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
The article emphasizes the importance of energy efficiency in home improvement projects, which aligns with SDG 7.3. The focus on reducing fossil-fueled appliances and promoting electrification contributes to SDG 11.6 by addressing air quality and reducing environmental impact. The mention of reversing the damage caused by emissions connects to SDG 13.2, which emphasizes integrating climate change measures into policies and planning.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Energy savings from home improvement projects
- Number of households switching from fossil-fueled appliances to electric alternatives
- Reduction in household utility bills
- Amount of federal tax rebates distributed
The article mentions the potential energy savings and reduction in utility bills resulting from energy-saving home improvement projects. These can serve as indicators to measure progress towards SDG 7.3. The number of households switching from fossil-fueled appliances to electric alternatives can be an indicator for SDG 11.6. Additionally, the distribution of federal tax rebates can be tracked as an indicator of progress towards the targets.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency | – Energy savings from home improvement projects – Reduction in household utility bills |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management | – Number of households switching from fossil-fueled appliances to electric alternatives |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | – Amount of federal tax rebates distributed |
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Source: news.yahoo.com
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