ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebates

ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebates

The Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program is an easy way to promote energy efficiency among your customers.

ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) voluntary program that helps businesses and individuals save money and energy. In order to earn the label, ENERGY STAR products must be third-party certified based on testing in EPA-recognized laboratories. ENERGY STAR qualified products use less energy than standard products that meet national appliance standards. Today, an ENERGY STAR clothes washer uses about 70 percent less energy and 75 percent less water than a standard washer used 20 years ago. Energy star refrigerators and freezers save an additional 20% of energy when compared to national standards for these appliances.

Your rebate program should work hand in hand with an appliance recycling program. New appliances, while energy efficient, only provide incremental savings over older appliances. Getting rid of older appliances is key to a successful program. For instance, a new Energy Star refrigerator has an estimated savings of 102 kWh. Recycling the old refrigerator has an estimated savings of 1076 kWh. These savings are not captured if the old refrigerator makes its way into a basement or a garage as a spare.

Recommended Energy Star Appliance Rebate Levels

Appliance / Description / Energy Source Saved / Incentive Amount / Additional qualifications
Refrigerator / ENERGY STAR qualifying refrigerators
(10 cubic ft. or larger) / Electricity / $25 / An additional $25 rebate for recycling the old refrigerator
Freezer / ENERGY STAR qualifying freezers
(10 cubic ft. or larger) / Electricity / $25 / An additional $25 rebate for recycling the old freezer
Clothes washer / ENERGY STAR qualifying clothes washers / Electricity/
Natural Gas / $50 / Customer must use utility’s fuel for water heating and/or drying clothes.
Dishwasher / ENERGY STAR qualifying dishwashers
(standard size only) / Electricity/
Natural Gas / $20 / Customer must use utility’s fuel for water heating.
Dehumidifier / Energy Star qualifying dehumidifier / Electricity / $10
Room air conditioner / ENERGY STAR qualifying room air conditioners / Electricity / $25 / An additional $25 rebate for recycling the old air conditioner

Requirements for new appliance rebate:

Utilities should have several requirements for customers to meet before receiving their rebates.

·  Utilities must require that anyone requesting a rebate is an active customer of the utility.

·  Utilities must require that the appliance that the rebate is for, be installed and operating within their service area.

·  Utilities should also require that the appliance that is subject to a rebate have energy supplied by the utility (Ex. A clothes dry fueled with gas by the gas utility or a refrigerator fueled with electricity by the electric utility.).

·  Utilities should also require that the customer provide proof of purchase, installation, and energy efficiency documentation.

·  As an option, Some Utilities opt to require customers to recycle their old appliances to prevent them from being used secondarily.

Program Administration:

There are three suggestions to administer energy star rebates for appliances effectively.

1.  Customers can buy appliances from vendors or contractors, fill out a rebate form, with proof of purchase, to receive the incentive compensation for purchasing an energy star appliance.

2.  Utilities can opt to have customers buy from contractors or vendors at reduced prices that are produced from agreements or contracts with the utility. The utility builds in the rebate value into the price of the appliance and the utility pays the contractors the rebate value instead of the customers.

3.  Utilities may purchase appliances that then are sold directly to customers at a reduced price, giving motivation for customers to buy the reduced cost energy efficient equipment and appliances over the stardard.

IAMU Model ENERGY STAR Appliances and

Energy Efficiency Program Appliance Recycling 2

Appliance Recycling

Recommended Appliance Recycling Rebates

Appliance / Description / Energy Source / Incentive Amount
Refrigerator / Any working refrigerator from a home or business / Electricity / $25
Freezer / Any working freezer from a home or business / Electricity / $25
Room air conditioner / Any working room air conditioner from a home or business / Electricity / $25

Requirements for appliance recycling:

Equipment must be in working condition and removed from a home or small business within the Utility’s service territory and the Utility must supply the electricity or gas for the appliance. Recycling facility should be approved by the Iowa DNR. Appliances frequently contain hazardous materials such as refrigerants, mercury-containing devices and PCB capacitors. Iowa requires that all discarded appliances be demanufactured by a permitted appliance demanufacturer prior to disposal. Permitted facilities are listed on the Iowa DNR website. http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/WasteManagement/Recycling/Appliances.aspx

Program Administration:

The Utility has several options to how they can implement an appliance recycling program.

1. The utility may offer to pick up old appliances for customers at no charge and work with permitted facilities to recycle appliances.

1. The utility may opt to contract with a permitted facility to pick up and recycle these appliances for customers.

1. The utility may provide a certain periodic event location that allows customers to drop off their old appliances and arrange for appliance pick-up from a permitted facility.

IAMU Model ENERGY STAR Appliances and

Energy Efficiency Program Appliance Recycling 2