ANNAPOLIS (Aug. 5, 2010)—The Maryland Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, initially launched on Earth Day 2010, expanded beginning on Friday, July 30, by adding rebates in four additional appliance categories, each related to cooling. These rebates, overseen by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), encourage residents to replace outdated, inefficient appliances in their homes with ENERGY STAR-rated equivalents, delivering financial savings directly to consumers and energy savings to the state energy grid.
Rebates will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while funding lasts for the following ENERGY STAR appliances: central air conditioning units ($500), air source heat pumps ($500), room air conditioners ($25) and freezers ($100). Purchases or installations made on or after July 30, 2010 will qualify for these rebates. These are in addition to the currently available rebates for qualifying super-efficient clothes washers ($100), refrigerators ($50), and electric heat pump water heaters ($300).
Program details, additional information and terms and conditions as well as rebate forms are available at http://energy.maryland.gov/. Customers of Allegheny Power, BGE, Delmarva, Pepco and SMECO can click on the link to their utility’s website from MEA’s webpage to get program details, additional information and terms and conditions.
“We want as many Marylanders as possible to be able to benefit from this additional opportunity, especially over the summer while temperatures are hitting record highs across our State,” noted MEA Director, Malcolm Woolf. “If you need to replace your old, inefficient appliance, now is the time to take action.”
As of mid-June, approximately $500,000 in rebates had been processed by the utilities and MEA. These included approximately 4,000 clothes washer rebates, 400 refrigerator rebates and 200 electric heat pump water heater rebates. The Appliance Rebate Program uses a $5.4 million award from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to provide rebates directly to Maryland consumers through March of 2012, or until funds are exhausted.
ARRA/MEA rebates are available for a limited time, based on funding availability. ARRA/MEA rebates will be processed in the order they are received until funding runs out. Applications that are fully completed and include all required information will be processed first. Incomplete or incorrectly filled-in applications will delay processing and reduce or eliminate chances of receiving a rebate. All rebates will be paid directly to consumers. MEA will notify the public when funds dip below 25% remaining via the energy administration’s website and through the media.