White House unveils home energy efficiency program

The White House unveiled a new "Home Energy Score" federal program Tuesday that will allow people to determine how energy-efficient their homes are.

It was one of several energy initiatives that Vice President Joe Biden announced at a White House event Tuesday. The voluntary Home Energy Score program, developed by the Energy Department, will provide homeowners a score of between one and 10, along with estimated savings from energy retrofits, and a personalized list of recommended home energy upgrades.

The program is starting up on a pilot basis in several places this fall before going nationwide: Charlottesville, Va.; Allegheny County, Pa.; Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.; Portland, Ore.; Eagle County, Colo.; South Carolina; Texas; Minnesota; and Indiana.

Another new program, PowerSaver Loans, will offer homeowners federally insured loans from private lenders to make energy improvements. Lenders will be able to borrow for terms as long as 20 years. It will start as a two-year pilot program early next year.