House Bill Could Help Make Your Home Energy Efficient

February 17, 2010

(WICHITA, Kan.)

"There's a total of twelve on each side." Ellsworth Kauffman's solar panels are hard to miss. But, he says, so is the money they'll save.

"Last year our highest bill was $39 for the heat in one month."

Kauffman moved into his house five years ago with the solar heating system already in place. Water runs through the panels on the roof and throughout pipes in the floor of the house - heating it from the ground up.

"It's quite easy for there to be a difference, a major difference in the long run." But a system like his is a big investment, $15,000 to $20,000. A price tag big enough to discourage a lot of people from even considering it.

But a bill, moving its way through the Kansas House, could make installing things like solar panels more affordable, or even smaller things, like new windows or new doors.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE BILL

The bill would let local governments give bonds to individual property owners. Those bonds would go towards energy efficient upgrades and the cost would be paid off with special assessments on the owners property taxes.

Something Kauffman says may help get more people on board. "To string it out over a period of time would certainly be helpful, as far as the city doing that type of advantage for people."

But it's up to the Kansas legislature to decide how much of an advantage it wants to give.

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