Cash for Appliances: What does it have to offer?
Last year, people who replaced their cars with more fuel efficient cars traded their “clunkers” for cash in a highly popular program. This year, the emphasis is on removing dinosaur appliances from use in a rebate program managed by the states. “Cash for appliances” lacks the catchy moniker of last year’s program, but still aims to update less efficient older appliances with Energy Star rated appliances.
The theory is that old appliances not only cost consumers more to operate but also increase greenhouse gas emissions. When an appliance identified with an Energy Star label replaces an older model, both the environment and the consumer benefit. The new appliances are often more expensive than non-Energy Star models, so the rebate is an attempt to offset the great initial cost.
Source: Typical House Memo, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2009 and Typical house_2009_Reference.xls spreadsheet. Average price of electricity is 11.3 cents per kilo-watt hour. Average price of natural gas is $13.29 per million Btu. * "Other" represents an array of household products, including telephone, ceiling fans, stoves, ovens, microwaves, and small appliances like coffee makers and dehumidifiers.
As noted in the chart, 13% of a typical family’s energy spending goes toward appliances such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and dishwashers. This does not include the power consumed by electronics like televisions or even that used by stoves, telephones, and other household appliances. The appliance rebate program targets appliances measured by power use in this category, although some states are rebating water heaters or heat pumps.
What is included in the Cash for Appliances program varies by state. The rebates are claimed by mail, but each state has its own requirements to qualify and receive the funds. Unlike the Cash for Clunkers program, recipients of the appliance rebates do not have to turn their old appliances in, but are expected to retire and recycle the old ones – not keep them as second refrigerators or give them to a neighbor.
Here is the lineup of rebate programs for the greater DC area:
DC:
What’s included: Refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers, electric heat pumps, water heaters.
How the program works: Advanced rebate reservation is required; amount of rebate varies according to how efficient the appliance is.
Program Dates: April 2010 till funds are exhausted.
Old appliances: Participant must provide proof that the old appliance was hauled away.
Contact: District Department of the Environment, Energy Office
Total Funding for district: $568,000
Virginia:
What’s included: Refrigerators, clothes washers, gas storage water heaters, gas tank-less water heaters, gas furnaces, air source heat pumps. (Final details subject to change.)
How the program works: Advanced rebate reservation is required.
Program dates: April 2010 till 2011 or until funds exhausted
Old appliances: State encourages recycling.
Contact: Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy
Total Funding for state: $7,454,000
Maryland:
What’s included: Refrigerators, clothes washers, electric heat pumps, water heaters.
How the program works: Rebates offered though local utilities for most; others apply by mail.
Program dates: April 2010 till funds exhausted.
Old appliances: State encourages recycling.
Contact: Maryland Energy Administration
Total Funding for state: $5,405,000
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Tags: applicance rebate program, Cash for Appliances, Cash for Clunkers, cost of energy use, energy star rated applicances, express homebuyers dc llc