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Look familiar? If you have old appliances, the stimulus bill may be help you get more energy-effiicient versions. Photo: karenthecroccy, Flickr
Soon you could be trading in your old, inefficient refrigerator for a more energy-efficient model and getting a rebate for it. The U.S. government is planning to create a program like the "cash for clunkers" automobile program for household appliances. However, unlike the car program, you would not necessarily need to turn in your old appliance to qualify for the rebate -- you'd just need to purchase a new efficient one.
According to USA Today, the U.S. Department of Energy will provide the states with $300 million to provide consumers with $50 to $200 rebates when they purchase new, energy-efficient appliances; these funds were approved earlier this year as part of the $787 billion stimulus plan. The rebates would be managed state by state, with each state determining the specifics of its own rebate program.
Several appliance rebate programs are already in place across the country. USA Today mentions California, Nevada and Michigan all have appliance recycling rebate programs. According to The New York Times's Green Inc. blog, in the northeast, New Jersey introduced a statewide program that gives NJ residents a $30 rebate for recycling old fridges and freezers. Vermont also doles out $30 for these "clunkers," and the Rhode Island and Massachusetts utility, National Grid, started a similar program at the beginning of the summer.
Meanwhile, Rented Spaces reports that New York City, Washington, D.C. and California are all considering television recycling programs.
We hope that the final version of the appliance rebate program includes some kind of system for recycling old models, not just a rebate for purchase of a new appliance. It was great to read in The New York Times's Green Inc. blog that in Vermont's refrigerator program, "95 percent of the appliances' contents, including foam insulation (which is burned, and its heat used to generate electricity... [While] steel and plastic may end up in new products like cars or refrigerators, and the tempered glass shelving may wind up in asphalt or helping to aerate some potting soils." That's keeping a lot of waste out of landfills!
In any case, you might want to hold of buying any new appliances until the details of the program are solidified.
Read More on Green Design:
-How to Reuse Carpet Tiles in Fresh Ways
-Cool Cardboard Furniture
-Green Your Kitchen in Five Easy Steps
