Obama’s weatherizing program lags far behind on its job goals

The program was a hallmark of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a way to shore up the economy while encouraging people to conserve energy at home. But government rules about how to run what was deemed to be a “shovel-ready’’ project, including how much to pay contractors and how to protect historic homes during renovations, have thwarted chances at early success, according to an Associated Press review of the program.

“It seems like every day there is a new wrench in the works that keeps us from moving ahead,’’ said program manager Joanne Chappell-Theunissen. She has spent the past several months mailing in photographs of old houses in rural Michigan to meet federal historic preservation rules. “We keep playing catch-up.’’

The stimulus package gave a jolt to the decades-old federal Weatherization Assistance Program. Weatherization money flows from Washington to the states, where it is passed to local nonprofits that hire contractors to spread insulation and install efficient heaters in people’s homes. Energy officials said the stimulus infusion is on track to create thousands of career-pathway jobs and support an industry that lowers carbon emissions while saving consumers money.

“This is the beginning of the next industrial revolution with the explosion of clean energy investments,’’ said Cathy Zoi, assistant US energy secretary. “These are good jobs that are here to stay.’’

But after a year, the stimulus program has retrofitted 30,250 homes — about 5 percent of the overall goal — and fallen well short of the 87,000 jobs that the department planned, according to the latest available figures.

As the Obama administration promotes a second home energy-savings program — a $6 billion rebate plan — some specialists ask whether that will pay off for homeowners or for the planet.

“A very rosy picture was painted that energy efficiency would be a great way to create jobs and save money,’’ said Michael Shellenberger, an energy expert who heads the Breakthrough Institute, an Oakland-based think tank that is financed by nonpartisan foundations and works on energy, climate change, and health care issues. “The Obama administration risks overpromising again.’’