MN appliance rebate gets overwhelming response. Get ready for your state's rebate program.
Want an energy-efficient appliance? This is the season to look for one, because 37 states start offering rebate programs to consumers this month or next.
In March, 14 states – including Arizona, Iowa, Minnseota, and Ohio – kick off appliance-rebate programs. In April, another 23 states launch their rebate programs.
The rebates can be quite hefty, so don't delay to apply for one. (For a list of states, click on the map to the left.) The demand in some states has been so strong that state websites have been overwhelmed with traffic.
On Monday, for example, Minnesota and Iowa began offering substantial rebates on Energy Star appliances ($200 for clothes washers and refrigerators; up to $500 for some refrigerators in Iowa). Their websites were so overloaded with requests that many consumers couldn't get through. Officials said to keep trying the web address and/or the toll-free numbers.
Although the state programs are funded by federal stimulus money, the US Department of Energy allowed each state to craft its own program (subject to federal approval). So the rebates vary quite a bit.
Not surprisingly, states that have offered the biggest rebates have quickly exhausted their funds.
Kansas, for example, ran out of its federal funding in 10 days after it offered open enrollment to low-income households Jan. 19. The rebates were hefty: $200 for an Energy Star window air-conditioner to $800 for an Energy Star clothes washer.
"That program was extremely successful," Catherine Couch, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. in Topeka, which serves as the state housing agency. "There's a tremendous need among families for help to reduce their monthly energy costs."
Delaware, by contrast, still has money available, even though it started in December, becoming the first state to offer appliance rebates funded with stimulus money. Consumers there can qualify for up to $75 in rebates if they buy a front-loading Energy Star washer through March 31.
With more than 7,000 rebates handed out, Delaware officials still call their program a success. "The response has been strong," says Becky Fleischauer, a spokeswoman for Delaware's program. The rebates are a way to introduce consumers to the state's other energy-saving programs. "In addition, it has meant a timely boost in sales for retailers," she adds.
For Web links and phone numbers for individual state rebate programs, click here.
