Interested in getting your piece of the $17,585,466 Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate offered by the State of Florida? Click here for the official program information. The program launches April 16, 2010 and concludes on April 25, 2010.
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State revises system for appliance rebates
By Diane C. Lade, Sun Sentinel
7:03 PM EDT, March 29, 2010
There’s been a change in the rebate reservation program in Florida’s cash-for-clunker appliance program. Now you have to buy the appliance first, then reserve your rebate — online only.
Florida officials say they want to be sure the state does not run out of the $17.6 million in federal money before all claims are paid. The rebate program starts April 16.
Having a phone system that could handle all of the anticipated calls would be too expensive, said Brenda Buchan, manager of what’s officially called the ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebate Program.
“I would rather give the funds out in rebates than use the money for administrative expenses,” she said.
Iowa, one of the states that’s already launched its appliance rebate program, received 7 million requests on the program’s first day, crashing its website and phone system twice. The rebates were all claimed by 3:45 p.m. that day.
Florida’s program remains scheduled for nine days, but rebates will be cut off as soon as the money is gone. Reservations will be required before the rebate application form can be submitted, so the state can keep a running tally of the money going out. A website, the address of which hasn’t yet been released, will be launched Thursday to give consumers step-by-step instructions. The same website will be used to take rebate reservations beginning April 16.
At this point, this is what’s known:
You will not be able to reserve your rebate by phone, as originally planned. All reservations must be made online. In some cases, major retailers may set up computers to assist customers who don’t have Internet access.
Reservations must be made after the appliance is purchased, not before, and before filing the rebate application. The state does not guarantee a refund if a customer discovers the rebates are gone after he or she has bought the appliance.
Consumers must file a rebate application with attached original receipts by May 10 to receive the 20 percent discount on qualified ENERGY STAR appliances. Applications will be available online and from some retailers.
Covered appliances include: refrigerators, freezers, room air-conditioners, washing machines, dishwashers and tankless gas water heaters with a federal ENERGY STAR rating. Stoves, ovens and clothes dryers are not covered.
Consumers can receive rebates on one of each appliance, with a $1,500-per-household maximum. Products must be purchased for residential homes, not commercial buildings.
Twenty-three states have started their cash-for-clunker appliance events, and some have required reservations to monitor payouts. Those programs with generous discounts that cover a large number of products, like Florida’s, have been tremendously popular, said federal Energy Department spokeswoman Jen Stutsman. Iowa, Minnesota and Rhode Island all exhausted their allocations within a day.
Gian Trotta, an associate web editor for Consumer Reports’ Home & Garden blog, said some states found shoppers were more likely to participate when there was an online system, as they didn’t want to bother with paperwork. Having too much of the program tied to the Internet could create an accessibility issue, he said.
While he thought it was unusual for a state to require a reservation after a purchase rather than before, Trotta said making reservations in advance could cause problems with getting the exact model and price recorded, as Florida offers a percentage rebate rather than a flat amount. “It sounds like Florida is trying to balance choice with efficiency and fairness,” he said.
Diane C. Lade can be reached at dlade@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4295.
Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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