State appliance rebate program expands

The California Cash for Appliances rebate program, which has lagged since launching three months ago, is expanding the list of eligible energy-efficient machines in an attempt to boost interest.

Starting Thursday, customers who trade in their old electricity-guzzling machines for new eco-friendly ones can start applying for rebates of $50 for freezers, $100 for dishwashers, $100 to $750 for water heaters and $200 to $1,000 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

The original rebates, part of a federal program fed by stimulus funds, include $50 for room air conditioners, $100 for clothes washers and $200 for refrigerators.

Customers have applied for less than $12 million from a $31.7-million pot, according to the California Energy Commission, which is administering the program. The state, with its glut of green-minded consumers, was expected to eat through its funds almost immediately.

California’s tough energy-efficiency standards prevented many appliances from qualifying for the rebates, customers said.

Nancy Wagner, 55, a retired education administrator in Yorba Linda, said she spent a full day researching eligible white refrigerators after the program launched April 22. But after calling several stores and then visiting in person, she gave up.

“You’d think it would be pretty basic, but within a 40-mile radius, I just couldn’t find one,� Wagner said. “Given the way the parameters were set up, they made it too difficult. I guess I’m going to have to keep my old one until it clunks out.�

Retailers said they were prepared for a flood of shoppers after other states blew through their rebate allotments within hours. Most stores ended up with just a trickle of buyers.

Officials are hoping that the expanded offer, known as California Cash for Appliances PLUS, will give consumers more options. Nearly 2,900 furnace models are now eligible for the rebate, as well as more than 300 models for water heaters and room air conditioners and many more for clothes washers, boilers, freezers, refrigerators and dishwashers.

The commission originally imposed a May 23 deadline for buying the appliances but is now giving customers until funds run out. Buyers also get 120 days, not 30, to mail in their rebate applications.

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