Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is advocating that any jobs bill include support for building retrofits to create jobs and reduce energy bills. This a variation on his S. 1574: Clean Energy for Homes and Buildings Act of 2009. It's designed to overcome the main barrier to retrofits involving energy efficiency and small-scale renewable: financing. such investments are profitable over time, but they involve high up front costs. In recent years, a number of innovative financing models have emerged to allow consumers access to loans that they can pay off using all or part of the energy bill savings they see as soon as the retrofit is completed.

Some cities and states are encouraging property-tax-based financing, where the building owner gets a loan from the local government and repays it through a property tax surcharge. Some utilities are offering on-bill-financing, where the loan is repaid through a surcharge on the utility bill. Some private companies can offer building owners performance savings contracts or, in the case of solar electric systems, leasing arrangements that the cost is paid off in monthly payments, out of the savings on the utility bill.

I agree to the idea of re-tooling industry, the federal government could demand that industry re-tool to save energy, reduce green house gasses etc. I agree that the initial cost would be large but the out come would be more beneficial. The economy is in trouble as we all know and re-tooling would promote job growth for years and years all through out the many different sectors of the economy and would allow for a thriving economy which in turn would promote profit.

Re-tooling is a win win for every American and around the world as well. It is time that we take charge and do something productive, we have heard the numbers, seen the charts, talked the issue to death. It is time for action and I support Sen. Merkley's bill.