Indiana to Get $6 Million to Spur Consumer Purchases of Energy Efficient Appliances
July 14, 2009
July 14, 2009
WASINGTON, D.C. – Indiana will receive more than $6 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund a state-run rebate program for consumer purchases of new ENERGY STAR qualified home appliances, Congressman André Carson announced today.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today launched the nearly $300 million national initiative aimed at increasing the number of energy efficient appliances in homes while spurring consumer spending and creating jobs.
"In this troubled economy, we need to both help struggling families reduce their costs of living and make investments in our economy that will spur growth and create jobs," Congressman Carson said. "This rebate program does both.
"Encouraging consumers to transition into using more energy efficient appliances can bring down monthly electric bills, and by making these appliance purchases, consumers will be investing in our economy and in job creation."
According to information released by the DOE, the rebate program funding will be awarded to states and territories using a formula set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Each state is required to submit a plan that specifies which ENERGY STAR appliance categories will be included in their rebate program, the rebate level for each product type, how the rebates will be processed, and their plan for recycling old appliances. States and territories must first file an initial application expressing their intent to participate by August 15, 2009, followed by a full application by October 15, 2009.
States will receive 10 percent of the funds after submitting the initial application with the balance awarded after their program plans are approved. DOE anticipates that substantially all funding will be awarded by November 30, 2009.
Eligible Appliances
States have the flexibility to select which residential ENERGY STAR qualified appliances to include in their programs and the individual rebate amount for each appliance. DOE recommends that states focus their program efforts on heating and cooling equipment and water heaters as these products offer the greatest energy savings potential. ENERGY STAR qualified appliance categories eligible for rebates include: central air conditioners, heat pumps (air source and geothermal), boilers, furnaces (oil and gas), room air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, and water heaters.
The Recovery Act appropriated funds for the energy efficient rebate program to help achieve the national goals of spurring economic growth, creating jobs, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
More info on ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that covers more than 60 product categories and is supported by a network of almost 600 utility and state and government partners serving more than 74 million households, over 2,000 retail partners representing more than 27,000 storefronts, and 2,645 manufacturers of ENERGY STAR qualified products.
For more information on these and other Recovery Act related funding opportunities, visit www.energy.gov/recovery.
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