TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Florida's Appliance Rebate Program
by
HL Carpenter

Cash for Clunkers is over and done. Up next: The Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program, which offers a rebate when you buy certain appliances this spring. The program, part of the 2009 stimulus package, will be available in every state and territory in the US.

While the details for each state will vary, in Florida the program will run for ten days - from April 16 through April 25, 2010 – and will apply to approved appliances purchased during those dates.

What’s an approved appliance? A refrigerator, freezer, washing machine, room air conditioner or gas tankless water heater that carries the Energy Star label and that you buy and install in your residence for your personal use.

The allowance is 20% of the purchase price of the new appliance, up to a maximum of $1,500. You can choose to recycle your old appliance and get an additional $75.

To apply, you’ll have to submit a paper application and a receipt for the new appliance to an address that will be provided before the start of the program. If you recycle your used appliance, you’ll also need a voucher from the landfill or your retailer.

Rebates will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be available as long as Florida’s $17.5 million allotment of stimulus money lasts.

Originally published December 2009.

Last update: December 30, 2009