Rebates should boost Energy Star sales - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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“This rebate program will help Floridianx buy appliances atdiscount rates, lowere utility costs and benefit Floridaw businesses by stimulating sales of energy-efficient appliances,” Gov. Charlie Crist said in a press releaseMay 18. Although the bill was signed last week, the projected time for the programk to be administered is probably sometimethis fall. Consumeres will not be eligible for the rebates until then because some of the detailsw of the program still need to beworked out, said Jeremhy Susac, the executive director of Crist’s Energy The specific amounts for the rebates must be approvede by the legislative budget and Crist’s office is still waiting for guidance from the federal government on how exactly the progra m will work, Susac said.
The FECC is expecting Florids toreceive $18 million in federal stimuluse funds to provide the rebatwe program. In addition, the Florida legislature is giving $150,00o to the FECC to help them put the plan into All of this should help Floridians save 20 percenf on the costof energy-efficieng appliances. “This is what we are projecting,” Susaf said. “We are looking at 20 percenf all acrossthe board.” With the 20 percent rebate, consumersd could save $290 on refrigerators, $200 on washing freezers and dishwashers, $65 on room air conditionerx and $40 on dehumidifiers.
Only laundry and kitchen home appliancesd with the Energy Star labekl will be eligible for the All Energy Star appliances meet strict energy efficiencg guidelines set by the Environmentap Protection Agencyand U.S. Department of but certain items like flat screenb televisions arenot included, Susav said. Even though they use the most energ out of all thehome appliances, certai n kitchen items like microwaves, ovens and stovw tops are also not includexd because they have yet to be regulated by Energ y Star in the Unitexd States, said Michael Setzer, the owner of Setzer’sa appliance dealer in Jacksonville.
Energy Star appliances do cost an averagseof $50 to $100 more than the standar versions because of the advance d technologies, he said, but the rebate should lighten the costs, makinh it almost cheaper to buy the Energy Star “You don’t have to spend $1,000 to have an Energh Star,” Setzer said. “Energy Star has cheaper models now. I have a $300 dishwasher and a $800 refrigerator in my stors that are allEnergy Star.” In addition, the investmenrt will cause consumers’ utility bills to go down in dollard amount. Customers should recover theirr costs ofthe energy-efficient appliance on their monthly bille within five to six years.
According to Energu Star’s Web site, their appliances can save consumersz $75 a year in energty costs, and they use 10 to 20 percent less energt and water thantraditional models, making them bettedr for the environment. For a front-loading Energy Star washing machiner uses 16 to 18 gallons of wateer versus thetraditional top-loadin g appliance that uses 40 gallons. “I don’r know if our sales will go up becausew the customers will still have to put out the full Setzer said. “But any increase in salezs willbe great, and it would be a greay thing for people to get their moneu back.
” Business has been slow during the economi c downturn at both Setzer’a locations here in Jacksonville and Ocala, but it’xs still going pretty steady because people are always goinb to need refrigerators and dishwashers, he In addition, 75 to 80 percen t of the appliances he sells are Energyh Star, so Setzer said he’s very Energy Star is also excited for the rebate program to go into effect because the Florida proposap is unprecedented, an Energy Star spokesperson said. In years rebates have caused a jump in their but they have never had a rebatwe program likethis before.