Happy Earth Day!
Are you marking the 40th anniversary of this celebration of our environment by buying a super energy-efficient fridge or washing machine or an electric heat pump water heater?
We've mentioned this before, but Maryland's version of federal appliance rebate program known as "Cash for Appliances" kicks off today.
From now until the $5.4 million in federal stimulus money runs out, state residents can purchase a qualifying refrigerator and get $50 back, $100 for an eligible clothes washer or $300 on an electric heat pump water heater.
Have you been counting down until April 22 to make your purchase? Are the rebates a good incentive to get you into stores? If so, please tell us about the elderly appliance you're replacing and your shopping experience in the comments below.
Washing machines and refrigerators have to meet higher efficiency standards to qualify. Refrigerators have to be 25 percent more efficient than the federal standard for the $50 rebate. Only clothes washers that meet the Consortium of Energy Efficiency's Tier 2 standards (a "modified energy factor" of at least 2.0 and a "water factor" of at least 6.0) are eligible for the $100 rebate. (Here are definitions of those terms.)
Customers of the state's five largest utilities are processing the state rebate applications and may offer additional rebates as well, so be sure to hang on to your receipts and fill out the paperwork ASAP.
Here are links to the state rebate applications for:
And before your trash your old fridge, don't miss out on getting a few extra dollars by recycling your appliance.
Allegheny Power *requires* customers to recycle their old fridges to qualify for the federal rebate (you get $35 for your trouble) and BGE and SMECO will pay you $50.
UPDATED: Wondering how much you'd save by upgrading to an energy-efficient refrigerator? Check out the Energy Star program's refrigerator retirement calculator, which we've featured in the past as a Consumer Website of the Week.
UPDATED AGAIN: Some customers were excited enough to start shopping for rebate-eligible appliances at 6 a.m.
(photo: Associated Press)