New Appliances Are Greener, and Sell Houses Faster!
Earth Day is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate by going out and buying a Energy Star appliance! Why not? The State of Florida is giving you back 20%; after all, the state giving back money isn’t something that happens everyday!
We all know those old appliances are energy vampires and hideous to look at, so consider replacing them. The 20% rebate program is open to all residents in the State of Florida who purchase the appliance for their primary residence. What a great way to add value to your property and make it more salable in today’s continuing tough market! To top it off, you will save you money on your monthly electricity bill and help save the earth in the process.
The launch date for this rebate program is planned to loosely coincide with this celebration of our planet. Starting on April 16th, through a launch on the State’s web site, it will continue through April 25th — three days after the 0fficial Earth day of April 22nd. Purchases of large, Energy Star compliant appliances must be made during this time frame to qualify. Appliances covered include washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, tankless water heaters, and room air conditioners.
Residents can get up to $1800 per household, and an additional $75 towards recycling the old energy-sucking appliance they are replacing. This move will not only help to conserve Florida’s air and water resources while reducing overall carbon footprint - it will inject capital to help jump start Florida’s retail sales as well. Purchases are expected to add $62M to Florida’s economy, as well as $4M in tax revenues. A word of caution, READ THE FINE PRINT because not all Energy Star appliances are viable for the rebate and you cannot purchase the appliance through the internet (boo)! In addition, to better your chance for getting the money back is to log on the state website and request a “reservation”. This will “save your spot” in line. Because once the money is gone, it’s gone!
According to our Governor:
“I encourage Floridians considering the purchase of a new appliance to plan to do so beginning April 16 in order to take the first step toward qualifying for a rebate,” Governor Crist said. “Making these purchases this month will benefit consumers, businesses and our entire state economy, as well as increase energy and water savings for years to come.”
So, if you have been putting off getting rid of your dinosaur appliances, there will never be a better time to upgrade than now!
[Photo Credit: Flickr: Les_Stockton under a Creative Commons License]