BETHESDA, Md. – Jared Blum, President of the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association, is calling on all roofing contractors, roofing consultants, and manufacturers as well as specifiers and architects to the roofing industry, to support the Building STAR Proposal, by writing their Senators who are working on major jobs legislation.

Modeled on the Obama administration’s successful “cash for clunkers” program, the Building STAR Proposal would provide up-front rebates to commercial, institutional, and multi-family building owners who install energy-efficient building equipment, materials, products, and services during 2010. Under consideration in federal jobs legislation, the proposal would create hundreds of thousands of energy-efficiency retrofitting jobs in the commercial and industrial building sectors.

This fast-acting, short-term program is a product of Rebuilding America, a diverse coalition with a shared commitment to wholesale investment in the energy efficient retrofit of 50 million homes and buildings by 2020. The types of products and services covered by the rebate would include:

• Low-slope roofing insulation.
• Building envelope insulation.
• Mechanical insulation.
• Windows, window films, and doors.
• HVAC equipment, water heaters, and boilers.
• Duct testing and sealing.
• Variable-speed motors.
• Interior and exterior lighting.
• Building energy audits, commissioning, tune-ups, and training.
• Energy management and monitoring systems.

“Congress is desperately trying to incentivize rapid job creation and one of the most significant opportunities lies within the commercial roofing sector, where over 50 billion square feet of flat roofs are currently available for retrofit, four billion of which are retrofit each year,” said Blum. “If the insulation levels in these commercial roofs are upgraded from their current R-value to the High R Roof performance levels, meeting the criteria of the Building STAR proposal, there would be more work for roofing contractors and annual energy savings could exceed $2 billion.”

PIMA is coordinating the efforts of the contracting, manufacturing, and energy efficiency communities, and working closely with the unions to ensure this job creating legislation is adopted.

“One of the best and simplest ways to achieve a high degree of energy efficiency is by increasing the levels of insulation on the roof. Insulation, through its consistent and persistent performance, remains one of the most important components in a reroofing project when it comes to reducing energy costs and carbon footprint,” continued Blum.

As soon as the bill is signed by the President, the roofing community will be in an enviable position, as a roof retrofit can be designed, contracted and installed in as rapidly as 30 to 60 days – providing immediate jobs. In addition, the rebate program sets meaningful efficiency standards for qualifying equipment and services, and rebate levels will spur $2 to $3 of private investment in retrofits for every public dollar invested.

For more information, visit www.pima.org.