By Stephen Lee
A coalition of environmental groups is urging the Biden administration to push harder on raising public awareness of home insulation tax credits under the climate bill.
Hidden away in the walls and attic, insulation isn’t as glamorous a purchase as a shiny new heat pump or Energy Star-rated washer or dryer. But without proper insulation, many of the benefits of home retrofits won’t be realized, according to Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia Business School.
“Very few people know the advantages, or know about the tax credit,” Wagner said. “But it’s tough to make it sound sexy and sell this.”
The White House also has to be mindful of pushing too hard, for fear of being seen as meddling in consumer choices, Wagner said.
“There is the need for the administration to talk about this in a way that increases support while minimizing the backlash that happens every time someone talks about, say, low flush toilets,” Wagner said. “This stuff gets politicized so quickly. It’s very tricky to thread this needle.”
Quoted in: “Home Insulation Tax Credits Need a Push From Biden, Groups Urge” by Stephen Lee, Bloomberg Law (30 June 2023)