GE -- Appliances & Lighting Can Help You Find Out Rebate Details for Your State
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NYSE:GE) --- Many Americans don't think twice about upgrading their primary television set every couple of years. But what about the old family fridge --- how many of us stop to consider the fridge and whether it should be replaced? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, we should. The DOE has found that a home refrigerator typically uses five times as much energy as the average television uses, based on national averages. [1]
Reducing the amount of energy a typical family uses by running older appliances is the rationale behind a federally funded Cash for Appliances program, which is designed to encourage consumers to upgrade from energy-hogging appliances to ones that are energy efficient.
Cash for Appliances is backed by more than $300 million in federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is being managed separately by each state. [2]
When he first introduced the program, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu said: "Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there's enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month. These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy and create jobs."
The Department of Energy estimates that a home's appliances account for about 20 percent of the monthly energy bill. The DOE also states that the lifespan of the typical refrigerator averages around 14 years; 11 years for clothes washers; about 10 years from dishwashers; and nine years for room air conditioners. If those older appliances are low-efficiency, then the cost of the running them can really add up.
The rebate amount, resident eligibility, and the list of qualifying appliances differ from state to state.
GE -- Appliances & Lighting offers consumers a broad choice of ENERGY STAR®- qualified appliances in all major product lines: from cooking and refrigeration to laundry and hot water heaters -- that can help families transition to more efficient appliances.
One of these products, the new, award-winning GE GeoSpring™ hybrid electric heat pump water heater, was the first water heater to receive the ENERGY STAR® rating. This new energy-efficient electric heat pump water heater will reduce energy expenses up to 62 percent, saving as much as $320 annually on energy bills. [3]
The ENERGY STAR®-qualified GE Profile™ SmartDispense™ Frontload Washers with Steam Technology use as little as 10 gallons of water for a small load and can save more than 5,800 gallons of water per year compared to a typical topload washer [4]. Advanced water extraction and the dryer's moisture sensors help reduce drying time for added energy savings.
And that old family fridge? Beyond the cash incentive offered through Cash for Appliances, there are a slew of environmental reasons for upgrading to a GE ENERGY STAR®-qualified model. For example, a single ENERGY STAR®-qualified GE refrigerator is designed to avoid the emissions of more than 2,200 lbs. of carbon dioxide over the course of its lifetime compared to a conventional refrigerator over the same 13-year period; this is equivalent to the carbon dioxide absorbed in one year by 1/4 acre of trees in a southeastern U.S. forest.
For a complete list of ENERGY STAR®-qualified GE - Appliances & Lighting products and a state-by-state directory of Cash for Appliances rebates, visit http://www.geappliances.com/rebates_promotions/american-recovery-act-state-appliance-rebates.htm.
About GE -- Appliances & Lighting
GE -- Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company's ecomaginationSM initiative enable GE - Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater™, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
[1] U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Savers --- Appliances: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/appliances.html
[2] http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/moneymatters/a/cashappliances.htm
[3] Based on DOE test procedure and comparison of a 50--gallon standard electric tank water heater using 4881 kWh per year vs. the GE Hybrid water heater using 1856 kWh per year, and national average of 10.65 cents per kWh
[4] Compared to model WWSE5240DWW
Allison Gatta