South Carolina ready for ‘Cash for Clunkers’ for household appliances

South Carolinians can get rebates ranging from $50 to $500 this spring when they buy new Energy Star appliances. The state’s “Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate” program is being paid for with federal stimulus money.

“We’ve got $3.9 million worth of rebates to give out,“ says John Clark, director of the SC Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office, which is running the state’s rebate program. He says the program should start in mid-March and will continue until the money runs out.

He says the state is announcing the plans for the program now so consumers can start thinking about which appliances they might want to replace, based on their age and condition.

“Typically, consumers will wait until it actually breaks and then go buy it,“ Clark says. “We want them to look in the spring and say, ‘Hey, this thing isn’t going to last forever. I can start getting my energy savings right away. Why don’t I go ahead and go to the store and get a refrigerator rather than waiting a year and letting it break down?‘“ 

In order to get the rebate, consumers will have to turn in their old appliances for recycling. Clark says if someone buys a new energy-efficient refrigerator and then hooks up the old one in the garage, no energy is being saved.

Because they have advanced technologies, Energy Star appliances use 10-50 percent less energy and water than standard models.

Rick Abercrombie, an appliance salesman in Columbia, says front-load washers are a good example. “They save about as much water as the average person drinks in a lifetime,“ he says. “Well, multiply that by 15 years life expectancy (of the washer) and you’ve saved a lot of water. Multiply that by the number of households in the U.S. and if a third of them have front-load washers, you’ve got a huge story.“

He says some manufacturers are already offering rebates of their own to try to lure customers in to buy Energy Star appliances before the rebate program starts.

The state rebates will be available only to South Carolina residents making purchases in South Carolina stores and contractors. For appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers and room air conditioning units, customers will get an instant rebate at the cash register. For larger items, like central air conditioning units and water heaters, the contractor who installs it will give consumers a mail-in coupon to get the rebate.

Here is a list of the products that will be eligible for rebates and the price of that offer:
Clothes washers $100
Dishwashers $50
Refrigerators $50
Room Air Conditioning Units $50
Central Air Conditioning Units $200
Heat Pump $500
Gas Furnace $500
Gas-Condensing Water Heater $400
Electric Heat Pump Water Heater $400
Hi-Efficiency Gas Storage Water Heater $100
Hi-Performance Gas Storage Water Heater $200
Gas Tankless Water Heater $400
Solar Electric Water Heater $400
Solar Gas Water Heater $400