New York State Governor David Paterson is proposing a program that would enable consumers to receive rebates when they purchase some energy-efficient appliances.
The plan, called the Great Appliance Swap Out program, has currently been submitted to the federal government for approval and would include refrigerators, clothes washers, freezers and dishwashers.
It would be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). About 170,000 rebates equaling $16.8 million would be given.
“New York must continue to build a clean energy economy that will cut our energy costs and reduce our greenhouse gas pollution,” Paterson said. “This program will provide an important boost to the economy, while encouraging consumers all across New York to buy appliances that reduce energy consumption.”
The proposed program, which would only be for New York State residents, would take place during the February 2010 President’s week. The rebate for a single high-efficiency appliance that has the Energy Star label would be between $50 and $105.
For a package of three appliances that meet Consortium of Energy Efficient (CEE) standards, the rebate would be as much as $555.
“Consumers can save hundreds of dollars a year by replacing an old appliance with the appliances we’ve included in our rebate program,” said New York State Energy Research and Development Authority president and CEO Francis J. Murray, Jr.
“The program will not only help consumers save money and reduce the environmental impact of older appliances, but will help the governor’s ambitious goals of improving our environment and decreasing our energy usage in the future,” he said.
The federal Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for approving the plan. The approval process is expected to take at least 30 days.
“We thank President Obama and our entire Congressional Delegation for working to make this critical stimulus funding available,” Paterson said. Without this federal funding, which will provide much-needed economic stimulus in New York, we would not have pursued this program. We look forward to receiving DOE approval and moving forward in offering these cost- and energy-saving benefits to New Yorkers.”
More information, guidelines and forms are available at www.GetEnergySmary.org.
