The N.C. Energy Office announced today that the state’s Energy Star Appliance Replacement and Rebate Program will offer a second phase starting June 1. In the second phase, more appliances will be eligible for purchase by consumers seeking to reduce energy costs by replacing older appliance models, said Ward Lenz, Energy Office director.
“We were delighted with the results of the first phase with North Carolina consumers purchasing more than 54,400 appliances,” Lenz said. “With this second phase, we will put the remaining dollars to work to provide savings for consumers on appliances and utility bills while boosting our state’s economy.”
The second phase of the program will use mail-in rebates on items purchased on or after June 1. The rebates will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, starting on June 1, and continue until the remaining $1 million in funding is used. Consumers must be replacing older appliances to be eligible.
North Carolina received $8.8 million through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to participate in the Energy Star program. During the program’s first phase, which ran from April 22-25, about $7 million or 87 percent of the money was spent, leaving approximately $1 million for the second phase.
In addition to rebates on Energy Star refrigerators, freezers, clothes washing machines and dishwashers featured in the first phase of the program, rebates also will be offered during the second phase on Energy Star-rated central air conditioning systems, gas furnaces, air-source and ground-source heat pumps, and water heaters (gas storage, gas tankless, solar with electric backup and solar with gas backup).
Rebate amounts are: air conditioning systems, $300; clothes washing machines, $100; dishwashers, $75; refrigerators, $150; freezers, $75; gas furnaces, $300; heat pumps, $300; and water heaters, $200. More detailed information on the program is available at the N.C. Energy Office Web site, www.energync.net. Look for the blue Energy Star symbol and click on the “Get the Facts” logo.
Starting June 1, N.C. consumers may go online and, following their purchase, reserve their rebate. They must fill out a mail-in rebate application and send it along with address and proof-of-purchase information to the designated address. Consumers will have 14 days from the time they reserve the rebate to send in their application. Properly completed applications will be fulfilled within two weeks of receipt. Once a rebate is reserved, the tally of available funds will be adjusted until the money is gone. Consumers may access the regularly updated spending total to see the amount of funding that remains.