Today the New York Times highlighted the growing consensus around a national focus on retrofitting American homes to save money and create jobs, all tagged as "Cash for Caulkers".

This is a great idea, and certainly not new (but the catchy name is a substantial improvement). NRDC advocated for a retrofit program in the Northeast during the oil price spike two summers ago (because we could save more oil from these retrofits than we could drill from the outer continental shelf and faster), joined with other forward thinking groups to push it in the original Recovery Bill, and worked very hard on the retrofit incentives that can be found in all pending energy and climate legislation. We are also working on tax credits to encourage a suite of energy improvements to homes.

The only question now, given the groundswell of support, is how soon can we start? The incentives in the climate bills will not begin with until the carbon cap takes effect, so proposals to start them earlier, as mentioned in the NYT, should be a priority.

In reality, we can't afford to wait any longer. The efficiency of most homes is simply appalling, and we literally let the money we spend to heat our homes escape through the cracks. Our construction industry is also one of the hardest hit by the recession. Out of work builders could harness their understanding of building science to join the growing residential efficiency industry. This industry can grow, create jobs that can't be sent overseas, cut carbon emissions, and put money in people's pockets. There is no downside.

There is one issue to watch in all this talk -we must get what we pay for. We can't afford to pay for energy savings that do not occur, so the verification component to these proposals is incredibly important. And in this area, they are not all created equal. The final product must make sure that tax dollars are spent in a way that lowers homeowners' energy bills, and not just to keep contractors busy.

In the meantime, there are still simple steps homeowners can take to make their own houses and apartments more efficient themselves. Check out -- Cold Weather Planning: Seven Steps To a Warmer Home.