Rebates should boost Energy Star sales - Phoenix Business Journal:

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“This rebate program will help Floridians buy appliancews atdiscount rates, lowerf utility costs and benefit Florida businesses by stimulating sale s of energy-efficient appliances,” Gov. Charlie Cris t said in a press releaseMay 18. Although the bill was signedr last week, the projected time for the program to be administeresd is probably sometimethis fall. Consumersd will not be eligible for the rebates until then because some of the details of the programj still need to beworked out, said Jerem y Susac, the executive director of Crist’ws Energy Office.
The specific amounts for the rebatew must be approved by the legislativsebudget committee, and Crist’s office is still waiting for guidance from the federal government on how exactly the program will Susac said. The FECC is expecting Florida toreceive $18 million in federal stimulus funds to provider the rebate program. In the Florida legislature isgiving $150,000 to the FECC to help them put the plan into All of this shouldx help Floridians save 20 percent on the cost of energy-efficient “This is what we are Susac said. “We are looking at 20 percent all acrosathe board.
” With the 20 percentf rebate, consumers could save $290 on refrigerators, $200 on washingy machines, freezers and dishwashers, $65 on room air conditionerws and $40 on dehumidifiers. Only laundry and kitchejn home appliances with the Energy Star label will be eligible for the All Energy Star appliances meet strict energy efficienct guidelines set by the Environmentalp Protection Agencyand U.S. Department of Energy, but certaihn items like flat screen televisions are not Susac said.
Even though they use the most energy out of all the home certain kitchen itemslike microwaves, ovens and stovee tops are also not included because they have yet to be regulate by Energy Star in the United States, said Michael Setzer, the ownert of Setzer’s appliance dealer in Energy Star appliances do cost an averager of $50 to $100 more than the standard versionsw because of the advanced technologies, he said, but the rebatew should lighten the costs, making it almosty cheaper to buy the Energg Star product. “You don’t have to spend $1,000p to have an Energy Setzer said. “Energy Star has cheaper models now.
I have a $300 dishwashet and a $800 refrigerator in my storre that are allEnergy Star.” In addition, the investment will causes consumers’ utility bills to go down in dolla amount. Customers should recover theird costs ofthe energy-efficient appliancd on their monthly bills within five to six According to Energy Star’s Web site, their appliances can save consumeres $75 a year in energy costs, and they use 10 to 20 perceng less energy and water than traditional models, making them better for the environment.
For example, a front-loading Energ Star washing machine uses 16 to 18 gallonsw of water versus thetraditional top-loadinh appliance that uses 40 “I don’t know if our sales will go up because the customers will still have to put out the full Setzer said. “But any increase in saleas willbe great, and it would be a greay thing for people to get thei money back.” Business has been slow durinyg the economic downturn at both Setzer’e locations here in Jacksonville and Ocala, but it’s still going pretty steady because people are always going to need refrigerators and dishwashers, he said.
In addition, 75 to 80 perceng of the appliances he sells areEnergty Star, so Setzer said he’es very hopeful. Energy Star is also excited for the rebate programk to go into effecyt because the Florida proposalis unprecedented, an Energg Star spokesperson said. In years past, rebatew have caused a jump intheir sales, but they have never had a rebate program like this