New Funds Allow Extension of Popular N.C. Energy Star Appliances Rebate Program

Due to the popularity of North Carolina’s ENERGY STAR Appliance Replacement and Rebate program, another $650,000 is available for consumers to continue to apply for appliance purchase rebates – just in time to stretch holiday season spending dollars and take advantage of the many special offers that appliance retailers are making available.  Consumers will be able to go green and save some greenbacks as they seek to cut energy costs by replacing older, less-efficient appliance models.  Appliances must be purchased June 1 or after to qualify for rebates, which are available until funds are exhausted.

The original $8.8 million in federal Recovery Act dollars that had been designated for the North Carolina program have been spent, but the N.C. Energy Office is able to use other unspent Recovery Act funds to extend the program during this holiday season.  Consumers may go online or call a special telephone number to start the application process to receive their rebate.  The link to the N.C. Energy Star Appliance Replacement and Rebate Program can be found at www.energync.net.  Look for the blue Energy Star logo and the words “Appliance Rebate & Replacement Program.”  Consumers without Internet access may call 1-877-379-7323.  The application and the telephone line will be activated Wednesday morning, Nov. 24.  It will be closed on Thanksgiving day and reopen on Friday, Nov. 26.

During the N.C. Appliance Replacement and Rebate program’s first two phases, 64,000 appliances were purchased at a total retail value of about $64 million.  In addition to the $650,000 available for new Energy Star-qualified appliance purchases, another $350,000 will be used to pay the rebates of the 2,480 consumers who have been on the waiting list.

As was the case with the earlier Replacement and Rebate Program, rebates will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis and continue until the funds are exhausted.  To be eligible for the rebate, consumers must be replacing older appliances with a new ENERGY STAR appliance and must provide information required by the U.S. Department of Energy.  That information will include: name, address, telephone number and electricity provider.  In addition, people seeking rebates will need to provide the date the appliance was purchased, product price, name and location of the retailer, the type of product, the manufacturer and the model number.

The N.C. Energy Office has worked closely with the N.C. Association of Retail Merchants, as well as appliance retailers throughout the state, to develop the N.C. Energy Star Appliance Replacement and Rebate Program.  The extension of the program will help retailers, who continue to struggle from the impact of the current recession.

“North Carolina Retailers will be offering fantastic sales this Black Friday and these extra rebates will give consumers even more bang for their buck in buying energy saving appliances that will save them money all year round” said Andy Ellen, General Counsel of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association.

Those applying online will receive a confirmation page which should be printed out, signed and mailed to the listed address, along with a copy of the sales receipt.  That information must be sent within 15 days of applying for the rebate.  Consumers applying for rebates by telephone will be mailed the confirmation sheet and must return it by the listed date.  Rebates will be sent in the form of a prepaid debit card that can be used toward purchases at stores that accept debit cards.

A chart listing appliances, Energy Star criteria and rebates appears below.

North Carolina Energy Star Appliance Criteria & Rebates