Don’t Delay — Water Heaters, Central Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps & More Qualify for Rebates
RALEIGH – Consumers have just a few days to save on the purchase of energy efficient major home appliances as the N.C. ENERGY STAR® Appliance Replacement and Rebate Program will stop accepting applications at 5 p.m. on April 16. Since the program was reopened in February, applications for more than $1.1 million in rebates have been submitted for the purchase of 8,150 appliances. Leading the list of appliances: 2,590 clothes washers; 2,540 refrigerators and 1,685 dishwashers.
By acting before the program closes, consumers will not only save money on appliance purchases, but also cut energy costs by replacing older, less-efficient models. Appliances must be purchased Jan. 1, 2012 or after to qualify for rebates which will be based on funding that becomes available through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Consumers may go online or call a special telephone number, no later than April 16, to start the application process to receive their rebate. The link to the N.C. ENERGY STAR Appliance Replacement and Rebate Program can be found at www.energync.net. Look for the blue Energy Star logo. Consumers without Internet access may call 1-855-208-6242 on weekdays. The application website will be close to new applications after 5 p.m. on Monday.
North Carolina’s appliance replacement and rebate program has been one of the nation’s most effective – distributing more than $10 million in rebates on the purchase of over 75,000 energy efficient appliances. In addition, a special appliance replacement grant program was instituted in September 2011 to help victims of Hurricane Irene. The Hurricane Appliance Replacement Program (HARP) provided more than $1 million in grants to assist in the purchase of over 2,800 appliances in 38 counties that were designated for hurricane disaster relief.
Rebates will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis and issued as funds become available. To be eligible for the rebate, consumers must be replacing older appliances with a new ENERGY STAR appliance and must provide information required by the U.S. Department of Energy. That information will include name, address, telephone number and electricity provider. In addition, people seeking rebates will need to provide the date the appliance was purchased, product price, name and location of the retailer, the type of product, the manufacturer and the model number.
Those applying online will receive a confirmation page which should be printed out, signed and mailed to the listed address, along with a copy of the sales receipt. That information must be sent within 15 days of applying for the rebate. Consumers applying for rebates by telephone will be mailed the confirmation sheet and must return it by the listed date. Rebates will be sent in the form of a prepaid debit card that can be used toward purchases at stores that accept debit cards.
A chart listing appliances, Energy Star criteria and rebates appears below.
ENERGY STAR Appliance Criteria & Rebates
|
APPLIANCE |
ENERGY STAR CRITERIA |
REBATE AMT. |
|
Central Air Conditioner |
Split SEER of 14.5 or more and EER of 12 or more Single-package SEER of 14 or more and EER of 11 or more |
$300 |
|
Gas Furnace |
AFUE 90% or greater |
$300 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat Pumps |
Air-Source split SEER of 14.5 or greater and EER of 12 or more Air-Source packaged SEER of 14 or greater and EER of 11 or more Ground-Source open loop EER of 16.2 or more Ground-Source closed loop EER of 14.1 or more Ground-Source DX EER of 15 or greater |
$300 |
|
Gas Storage Water Heater |
Energy Factor 0.67 or more |
$200 |
|
Gas Tankless Water Heater |
Energy Factor 0.82 or more |
$200 |
|
Heat Pump Water Heater |
Energy Factor 2.0 or more |
$300 |
|
|
|
|
|
Solar Water Heater (electric back-up) |
Solar Fraction 0.5 or greater |
$200 |
|
Solar Water Heater (gas back-up) |
Solar Fraction 0.5 or greater |
$200 |
|
Refrigerator |
Energy Star-qualified |
$150 |
|
Clothes Washing Machine |
Energy Star-qualified |
$100 |
|
Dishwashing Machine |
Energy Star-qualified |
$75 |
|
Freezer |
Energy Star-qualified |
$50 |