President Obama wants to give you money to update your kitchen with energy efficient appliances and buy that new front loading washer you’ve been wanting – seriously, and it could save you money, stimulate the economy, and cut pollution.
Nicknamed Cash for Refrigerators or Cash for Appliances, the program is similar to the Cash for Clunkers program that made so many headlines in August with at least one big difference: The appliance rebate program will be run by state energy offices so the terms and conditions will vary. Generally, appliance buyers will be able to get $50 to $200 back for purchasing a qualifying refrigerator, washer, dryer, or one of any of a long list of qualifying Energy Star appliances in late 2009 and early 2010 – a pretty good deal added to the annual energy savings from the new, more efficient appliance.
Refrigerators are among the top five household energy users
Heating and cooling is the most energy intensive job appliances do. Electric heat, hot water, air conditioning and food cooling are a households biggest energy hogs. New refrigerators do the food cooling job much more efficiently than fridges that are only a few years old, so an incentive program that upgrades America’s refrigerator stock could be a big energy-saver, provided customers don’t put the old one in the basement or garage.
Cash for Refrigerators is funded by federal government stimulus money
Obama’s economic recovery program passed by Congress last February set aside $300 million for appliance efficiency. States have until October 15th to submit program plans to the Department of Energy.
Energy saving tips for even the older fridge
Pepco, the utility company serving my home town of Washington DC, recommends not keeping the refrigerator or freezer too cold. About 38 degrees F. to 40 degrees F. is sufficient for fresh food compartments of the refrigerator and 5 degrees F. is the right temperature for the freezer compartment. Long-term storage freezers should be kept at zero degrees F.
Pepco also recommends not opening the the refrigerator or freezer door too often and closing it quickly.
What to do with the old fridge after cashing in
Unlike Cash for Clunkers, old refrigerators won’t need to be relinquished to appliance dealers to get a rebate in the Cash for Refrigerators program. Many appliance retailers will a haul away your old fridge but be sure to ask what happens to it.
A good recycler will capture the coolant – a global warming pollutant or ozone-layer destroyer, depending on the coolant – and recycle the metal and foam from an old fridge. Private recyclers may also sell your old appliance as a refurbished used model. Your old fridge may even be worth a few bucks.
Photo of new gourmet kitchen, copyright Flickr user pnoeric; photo of old fridge, copyright Flickr user editor / both CC BY-SA 2.0.
When Jen Mueller isn’t chasing after her toddler daughter, she’s a yoga instructor and environmental communications professional in Washington DC. Jen blogs her observations on being engaged and staying present at Puddle Jumping in DC.
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