Originally Posted – 10-28-2010

Earlier this year, we wrote a series of articles on the Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program.  This highly successful program, designed to “promote awareness of Energy Star appliances and decrease energy consumption,” is coming back and we want to make sure that you, your friends and your family are prepared.  Don’t miss out on this chance to save energy and money.

The original appliance rebate program, which took place in April of 2010, was responsible for putting nearly $12.5 million back into the pockets of Texas residents.  This cash-for-clunkers-esque program offered rebates to residents who took the opportunity to upgrade their aging and/or energy-guzzling appliances like dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, air-conditioners and more.    Rebates ranged from $45 – $1,600 dollars (per appliance).  The program was successful, but a strict set of steps had to be followed if you wanted to take advantage of the rebates.

For those of you who missed out on the program in April or if you simply want another chance to save, a new Winter version is on the way.  $10 million of unclaimed rebate funds will be available for additional rebates.   Read on to get your checklist ready and see what you must do to be prepared.

Next Steps

Details on the Winter 2010 Appliance Rebate Program are sketchy for now.  Texaspowerfulsmart.org, the official site of the rebate program offers only a small amount of information to date.  As a consumer, it is your responsibility to be on the lookout and the state’s “official site for Powerful answers” has the tools you need.

• Website – First and foremost, bookmark the official website and check back often.  – http://www.texaspowerfulsmart.org/rebate/

• e-mail updates – Get up-to-the-minute information by signing up for e-mail alerts.  You need only enter your email address and delivery preference to get started.  No other personal information is required.

Signing up for e-mail alerts takes only a few seconds

• Twitter – For those of you who participate in the world of tweets, @PowerfulSmart has been set up for your following pleasure.  In addition to updates on the rebate program, this Twitter account also offers energy efficiency tips and information on other tax credits/incentives.

TX Powerful Smart is on Twitter

• JumpstartMyPC – be sure to follow us via the blog, Twitter and/or Facebook (all links available under FollowUsOn) for information.  If we find out anything, we’ll pass it on.

Whether or not you plan on updating those old appliances, this information might be helpful.  Think of any friends or family members who might benefit from this program and share our article with them.   From the ShareThis plugin below you can easily share this message with anyone on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, via email, text or any of the hundreds of social networking options available.   Your loved ones will appreciate you thinking of them.

UPDATE – added 12-07-10 @ 8am

The official date for the new Texas Appliance Mail-In Rebate Program has been announced.  Starting December 20, 2010 qualifying purchases will be eligible for mail-in rebates as part of the program.  Please note that rebates will only be available on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you are debating an appliance upgrade, you won’t want to hesitate.

UPDATE - added 2-16-11 @11am

A new email from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts arrived yesterday afternoon, indicating that funds are still available for the Texas Appliance Mail-In Rebate Program.  According to the email “We’ve already approved over $12 million in rebates and funds are limited, so act soon!”

Also, a new website has popped up to help you keep an eye on the available funds.  – Appliance Rebate Status Page

Appliance Rebate Status Page - as of 2-16-2011

Cash-for-Clunkers for Appliances?

In February, it was announced that the highly successful Cash-for-Clunkers program would soon extend to home appliances, like dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators and air-conditioners.  Those interested would be able to purchase new, energy-efficient appliances to replace their old, working appliances and receive a rebate from their state program (assuming the guidelines were met).  These rebates ranged from $45 – $1,600 dollars (per appliance) in Texas alone.   The program guidelines were different for each state and information was/is available on the Energy Savers web site.

We have posted 2 articles about the program so far, in case you would like to know more about it:

Cash-for-Clunker Program to Extend to Appliances in April – originally posted February 24th, 2010
Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program – The Final Countdown – originally posted March 25th, 2010

Changes

For residents of Texas*, an official web site was created for the “Trade Up” program and should be the definitive source of information for all program related details and questions.  Yesterday (April 1st, 2010) some big changes were made to the site and the details of the program.
* Residents of all other states should refer to the Energy Savers web site for information on their state programs.

Official Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program Web Site

• Reserve Your Rebate Date – The single most important change to the program is a NEW date to reserve your rebate.  The new date (as of 4/01/10) is Wednesday, April 7th.  This is the second change since the inception of the program and hopefully everyone gets this information.  An email did go out on April 1st to those who signed up to receive alerts.
• Reserve Your Rebate Time – A time has been announced.  Beginning at 7am on the 7th (pretty easy to remember), consumers can visit the online reservation system at www.TexasPowerfulSmart.org or call toll-free to 1-877-780-3039 to reserve rebates.
• More Rebates and Incentives – Additional federal, state and local incentives were added to the web site under More Rebates and Incentives.  According to one of the descriptions “You can use these in conjunction with the Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate for even more savings, depending on your area’s program.”  I strongly urge everyone to read this tab, as their are other programs that sound very interesting.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Frequently Asked Questions area is available on TexasPowerfulSmart.org and anyone interested in this program should take a look at this page before visiting the reservation site on Wednesday.  Many of the questions and answers are simple information duplicated from other areas of the site, but a few answered legitimate questions that I have heard raised before.  In particular,  I found this example to be very important (even if I completely disagree with the restriction):

Where can I buy eligible appliances?
Residents are required to purchase appliances in-store from a Texas retailer. Online purchases do not qualify for a rebate. Purchases of central air conditioners, air-source heat pumps and hot water heaters can also be made from a Texas contractor.

What Next?

I have said it before, but will say it again.  IF you are interested, you NEED to take the following steps AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  This is for your own good.

1. Mark the dates on your calendar, place, device, trick….  Do whatever it takes to remember the reservation and purchase dates.
2. Read the web site thoroughly before the 7th! The information is straight-forward but you must be armed with the answers before you go to reserve a rebate.
3. Decide what rebate(s) you will apply for. You must apply for the proper category in order to receive a rebate.  You don’t have to know the specific make and model of what you will be buying, but you must decide what appliances you will be replacing by the 7th.

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

Texas Residents

The state of Texas received more than $23 million in federal stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish and administer an Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program.  At the heart of this program is the Official State of Texas Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program Web site.  This newly-created web site has all the information you need to take advantage of the appliance rebate program and “More information will be added to this site in the coming weeks…” (as taken from the web site itself).  There are several key bits of information, already available on this site, that residents of the Lone Star State should be aware of.

Key Points

Reservation Period Begins April 5, 2010*, with the exact time to be announced the week of March 29th.  That is only 10 days from the original posting of this article. Qualified consumers (as defined on the official site) will have an opportunity to RESERVE a rebate by calling a toll-free number (which I did not see listed on the site) OR registering online from the official web site.
*This date (4/5/10) is different from our original article, where it was reasoned that the reservation period would begin on April 2nd.

Reservations Are Limited.  Since there are a limited amount of funds available, reservations for rebates are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.  After that, a waiting list will be created, with no guarantees.

Purchase Period Begins April 16, 2010 and ends April 25, 2010.  After reserving a rebate, consumers must make eligible purchases within the provided dates.  There are no exceptions.

Game Plan

If you are planning on an appliance purchase and qualify for the rebate program, I highly suggest that you follow these simple steps.  The rebate process is not difficult, but has a strict set of rules and dates that you must adhere to if you wish to receive your rebate.

Mark Your Calendar – Take the dates above and write them on your calendar, put them in Outlook, schedule an alarm  on your cell phone…  Do whatever it takes to remember the reservation and purchase dates.

Bookmark the Official Site – Official Site

Sign Up for Email Updates – On the official site, consumers can sign up to receive Appliance Rebate e-mail news.

Retailers

Retailers have taken notice of this rebate program and have already begun advertising their willingness to help you with your purchase, rebate and disposal needs.  I have already seen coupons in my weekly Valpak and stumbled onto a few web sites for companies that are doing their best to help you spend your money.  A great example is the Sears rebate site.  Unfortunately, it seems that Sears can only update us with Coming soon! when I attempt to use the “Find Rebates in Your Area” or “Learn More About Rebates in Your State” links.  Guess you’ll just have to check back regularly.

Sears Wants to Help You Spend Your Money

When choosing a retailer and appliance, there are several things you need to consider.  Most of all, make sure that the appliance follows the qualification guidelines of your state program.  For instance, in Texas the new appliance must be an ENERGY STAR or CEE qualified model.  A list of qualified appliances can be found on the official site.  Remember that the list of qualified appliances may vary from state to state.  Also, be sure that you shop around before making your purchase.  Retailers are aware of the purchase date guidelines and may “adjust” their pricing to take advantage of consumers.  There are numerous programs available online to compare pricing, tax, shipping, installation and other charges at local retailers and web sites.

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What does this mean for you and I?

First, you will need to arm yourself with the details of the program and what your state is going to do for you (since the rebate amounts depend on the individual state programs).  We’ve provided a quick guide to show you the process of using the internet to get this information, using Texas as the model.  Spoiler: The following steps are a bit cumbersome, but well worth your efforts.  It’ll only take about 5 minutes to get through the links and locate the details for your state.

1) Visit the U.S. Department of Energy “Energy Savers” web site here. 

http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/70020.html

Read up on the details of the program, the types of appliances  and the FAQ area (Frequently Asked Questions).  Note that any appliance you replace must be Energy Star qualified and each state may select its own products.

2) Click on the map of the U.S. or the link provided (Learn about those programs and when they are projected to start.) to find out the details for your state.

3) Choose your state from the map or use one of the links listed below the map.

4) To get the REAL information on the program for Texas, you need to follow the link labeled Texas State Energy Conservation Office.  **I would not have clicked on this link if I wasn’t investigating the program for the article and I suspect you would have skipped over it at this point as well.  Usually “contact” is reserved for emailing someone.

5) Believe it or not, we still aren’t there.  To get the details, click on the link labeled Energy Efficient Apppliance Rebate Program.  This page outlines the Program Objectives, Status and Details and this is where you will need to pay close attention.  The program has a very small window of opportunity and a strict rebate process, but the rebate amounts are very attractive and understanding the program could save you anywhere from $120 – $1,075.

As shown in the image below, if you want to qualify and receive a rebate, you’ll have to map out your purchase plan in advance.  You must “reserve” an appliance rebate by calling a toll-free number or registrering online “two weeks before April 16, 2010.”  (that’s April 2nd)  Then, you must make your purchase between April 16 and April 25, 2010.  Mark your calendars now!

UPDATE: (posted 3/24/2010 @ 4:00 pm)

Per an email sent out by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, a new site has been established for the “Texas Trade Up Appliance Program.”  All appliance rebate program details will be posted on http://www.texaspowerfulsmart.org over the coming weeks.

Also, according to the same email “We are working to provide Texans with the most up-to-date information by creating a comprehensive program guide that will outline application details, how to apply and terms and conditions. We will post that document and notify subscribers to our Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program e-mail list once it is available. ”

UPDATE: (posted 4/02/2010 @ 6:00 am)

The official web site for the Texas Trade Up Program has new information, added yesterday 4/01/2010.  Also, the Rebate Reservation period will now start on April 7th.  Please see our latest article Texas – Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program – UPDATE for details.