Energy Obamacare hits California homeowners

Gov. Jerry Brown discusses his proposed 2015-16 state budget at a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

If you thought the Obamacare rollout was fun, just wait until your furnace dies.

Californias new energy efficiency regulations, which started being enforced last summer, dramatically boost costs for owners of older homes when they need major maintenance on their systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Thats because ducts must be R-8 insulated and certified to be free of leaks, a standard that can force total replacement for many houses built before 2008.

Consider my instructive tale. In 2011, I paid $8,100 for a new, super-efficient heating and cooling system, complete with new ductwork, in a house we renovated in Valley Center.

But this month, a nearly identical HVAC system cost $12,758 to buy and install. Thats because the job required more labor, permits and testing in my vintage 1969 home in South Oceanside.

Both systems had identical efficiency ratings. So the new regulations added 57 percent to my costs a whopping $4,658 that wont go for investing, spending with local merchants or funding other efficiency improvements.

And remember, this extra cash didnt buy the planet a molecule of carbon reduction.

Now, to be fair, Obamacare is more expensive, because its regulations can raise consumer costs forever with little evidence of improving health, versus my one-time HVAC lump.

For example, my best friends health insurance premiums tripled in 2014 after the federal government outlawed her previous basic coverage. In this context, I got off easy with a 57 percent hit, courtesy of the California Energy Commission.

Of course, not everybody saw their health premiums triple, in part because many qualified for cash subsidies (have fun with those tax returns).

Original post:
Energy Obamacare hits California homeowners