Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

Now may be a good time to consider buying that new refrigerator, clothes washer or dishwasher.

Last summer, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus plan, the Department of Energy announced that up to $300 million in federal aid would be given to states to run rebate programs encouraging consumers to replace their old appliances with new energy-efficient ones.

Under the “State Energy Appliance Rebate Program,” otherwise known as Cash for Appliances, each state was allocated an amount based on its population. States were then supposed to determine qualifying products, set rebate amounts and submit their program plans to the Department of Energy for approval by Oct. 15, with the aim of starting the rebates by the end of this year and early next year.

In recent weeks, as the Department of Energy has approved many of the programs, details of the state offerings have started to emerge. By Tuesday, 51 of the 56 states and territories had won approval for their plans and received their money, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Energy.



The programs offer rebates for products with Energy Star labels, denoting higher efficiency. But details of the programs, including types of appliances included, rebate amounts, start dates, how rebates can be claimed and whether recycling of old appliances is required, vary by state. In all cases, though, consumers should act quickly if they want to take advantage of the programs since each state is offering only a limited number of refunds.

New York’s $16.8 million “Great Appliance Swap-Out” program, for instance, which was approved last week, will give more than 170,000 rebates in total and start in February. The New York rebates include $75 rebates for refrigerators and $50 rebates for freezers. Consumers will be eligible for additional rebates if they document recycling of their older models or buy three-appliance packages (rebate forms and instructions will be available here).

Other programs start earlier. Wisconsin, for instance, will start giving cash-back rewards for qualifying appliance purchases on Jan. 1 via mail-in form. Its more comprehensive, but sometimes smaller, rebates include $200 for boilers, $25 for dishwashers, $50 for freezers and $75 for central air-conditioners, air-source heat pumps, refrigerators and geothermal heat pumps. The rebates in Wisconsin, which was allocated $5.4 million for its program, may last only until February, according to the state’s site.

To find out what your state is offering, check out the Department of Energy’s list of approved programs and details (also outlined in the PDF below) as well as your state’s energy department Web site. Some appliance manufacturers and retailers like Sears are also keeping track of details of state rebate plans as they emerge and will help consumers submit the rebate forms in stores, when possible.

What do you think of these programs? Will you take advantage of them? Why or why not? What other tips do you have for saving on appliance purchases?

Appliance Rebate Award Information (pdf)