Rep. VanAkkeren urges residents to consider energy-saving appliances under the state’s rebate program

It’s never good news if one of your home appliances stops working and needs to be replaced. But, if you’re thinking of replacing that old furnace or refrigerator, now might be the time to do it. On Jan. 1, the state of Wisconsin began the Wisconsin State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program.

The state was awarded $5.4 million for consumer rebates by the U.S. Department of Energy with funding available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The ARRA funding is dedicated to state-run rebate programs for consumer purchases of new Energy-Star-qualified home appliances. As noted above, the cash-back rewards program began on Jan. 1.

Cash-back rewards include $200 for furnaces or boilers, $75 for central air conditioning or air source heat pumps, $100 for clothes washers, $75 for refrigerators, $50 for freezers, $25 for dishwashers, $150 for water heaters and $2,000 for solar hot water (clothes driers and stoves are not eligible for the program).

In order to be eligible for the rebate, the appliance must be purchased on or after Jan. 1 of 2010 and must meet certain energy efficiency requirements. A list of the EnergyStar prequalified appliances can be found on-line at: http://www.focusonenergy.com. Scroll down to the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program and click on Learn More.

Cash-back rewards are available only to residential customers who are replacing an existing appliance that will be installed in a Wisconsin residence. Appliances purchased for installation in a newly constructed home or by businesses, including landlords, are not eligible for this program.

Retailers will provide customers with a mail-in application for the rebate program at the time of their purchase. Consumers will need to fill out the form with a copy of their receipt and mail it within 30 days to the address indicated on the form. Rebate checks should be received within six to eight weeks. Rebate forms are also available for download online at: www.focusonenergy. com or by calling (800) 762-7077.

Recycling is also an important part of this rebate program. The idea behind the program is to take old appliances off the energy grid and have them replaced with energy-efficient appliances. As such, customers applying for a rebate must provide proof that their old appliance was take out of service and recycled. So, if you want to get a rebate for buying a new refrigerator, you can’t keep your old refrigerator and put it in your garage or basement!

The easiest way to recycle these appliances is to work with a program-approved retailer who will pick up the old appliance when they deliver the new one. These retailers have agreed to pick up old appliances and recycle them. You can also use an existing recycling service to recycle that appliance. These services include municipal programs, utility programs or private recycling services. Central air conditioners, however, must be turned over to the contractor installing the new central air conditioning.

A list of approved retailers can be found online at http://www. focusonenergy.com/files/ Document_Management_System/ Residential_Programs/efapproved retailers_list.pdf.

Approved retailers in Sheboygan County are: • Best Buy, 3600 County Trunk RD A, Kohler • Sears/K-Mart, 2615 Eastern Ave, Plymouth • Bitter Neumann Appliance, 827 N. 14th St., Sheboygan • Quality Appliance, 1205 Superior Ave., Sheboygan

• Sears, 3347 Kohler Memorial Drive, Sheboygan

The state Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program is scheduled to last from January 2010 until February of 2012, or until the funds are exhausted. In the event funds are exhausted prior to February 2012, Focus on Energy will announce a program end date. All qualified purchases made prior to the program end date and submitted within the required timeframe will receive a rebate check.

So, if you’ve been thinking of replacing one or more of your old appliances with something more energy efficient, this might be the right time to act. The rebate program will not only give you a little cash back on your purchase, but you’ll also save money each month with the new energy-efficient appliance!

Contact Me: If you would like to contact me regarding this or any other issue, you may call my office at (888) 529-0026 or you can e-mail me at: Rep.VanAk keren@legis.state.wi.us. And, of course, if you want to send me a letter, you can send that to: Rep. Terry Van Akkeren, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708- 8953.