A month ago (February 24th), we brought you the article titled Cash-for-Clunker Program to Extend to Appliances in April. The blog post, now one of our most frequented of all time, covered the first-ever appliance upgrade rebate program. The program, created using the same ideas that made the Cash for Clunkers program so popular, is meant to encourage consumers to put more money back into the economy, while removing older, less efficient appliances (dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, air-conditioners, etc.) from the “grid.” Individual state programs were put in place to handle these rebates and many of them have begun, or are about to begin, within the next month. Since that original article, some details have solidified, some have changed and new resources have been unveiled. If you were even thinking about an upgraded appliance, you will want to research this program. Rebates range from $100 to over $1,000 dollars (amounts vary from state to state).
Thanks to an email from my state comptroller, I have updated information on the Texas Rebate Program (y’all can jump down to your section now), but I didn’t want to leave out the rest of the U.S. With the exception of Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota (whose programs have already ended), consumers can visit the Energy Savers web site (part of the U.S. Department of Energy), to navigate to the appropriate information for their state. This site was last updated on March 24th and is updated regularly as additional program details become available. Note that this web site is the ONLY official DOE-sponsored web site. We also have some valuable information for consumers (of all states) available in the Retailers section below.
UPDATE: Texas Residents, some key information, including the Reservation Period start date, has changed. See our most recent article Texas – Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program – UPDATE for additional information. – added 4/02/10
