American Clean Energy And Security Act of 2009

The American Clean Energy and Security Act passed through congress without much fanfare over the weekend. After all with Michael Jackson's passing, it was difficult to find any news coverage devoted to another topic.

However, the ramifications of this act if it passes in the Senate will be felt throughout both the home improvement industry and the United States as a whole.

The 1300+ page act passed by a scant 7 votes, and while the stated goal is to: "Cut down on carbon emissions and create 1.7 million jobs in the clean energy industry" - - the true purpose of the act is to standardize energy and emissions laws across the U.S. In effect, the government would have control over these regulations instead of them varying from state to state.

What the act does not present (at least directly) is that this will force homeowners to change the way that they both maintain and sell their homes. A "national standard" similar to the one that currently exists in California will require homeowners to replace outdated windows and other energy-related home products even if they are still in good standing.

As a representative of the home improvement industry, I am excited about the positive impact that this may have on many businesses. However, like most of you I am also a homeowner and I see a problem with the government trying to regulate the maintenance of our homes to this degree.

While there are many homes that are in need of energy efficient products, a large majority of the populous lives in homes that are not that old, and have windows which while they are relatively new, will not meet the requirements under this new act. So if they cannot afford to replace these windows before they put the house on the market, this act puts them in very bad situation.

Furthermore, the cap and trade act will likely lead to a sharp increase in the cost per household.

I encourage home improvement businesses throughout the industry to monitor this act closely, because the ramifications on your company could be tremendous if this is passed.

Regardless, for homeowners and businesses alike this complimentary e-book on replacement windows will be a huge asset moving forward.