Water-Energy Efficient Rebates: What’s Available in Your State?

A few months ago we helped spread the word about the $300 million made available through the Department of Energy’s State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, and asked our Partners to contact their state energy offices to urge them to prioritize water using appliances, such as clothes washers and dishwashers, with the highest rebates. Now you can find out what rebates are available in your state.

The State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program was launched in the Fall of 2009 as part of the economic stimulus package. Similar to the successful "Cash for Clunkers" program that boosted car sales by offering rebates for consumers interested in trading in old gas-hogging cars for new more efficient models, this program was designed to provide an incentive for Americans to turn in their hold household appliances for new EnergyStar certified models. Since some water using appliances are included under the EnergyStar label, we saw this as an opportunity to fund water and energy savings.

As we explained in an open letter to state energy offices, there are multiple benefits to targeting water using devices for these rebates:

We encourage your office to maximize the payback of the DOE stimulus funds by prioritizing ENERGY STAR certified clothes- and dishwashers with the largest rebates and greatest share of available funding. ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers use 31% less energy and 33% less water than conventional machines, while qualifying clothes washers cut energy costs by more than one-third and reduce water usage by 50%. The water savings that would result from replacing old clothes- and dishwashers can provide numerous benefits including additional energy, carbon and cost savings.

Saving water saves energy and reduces carbon emissions. Each year, 4% of our nation’s electricity goes to pumping and treating water and wastewater. An additional 148 billion kilowatt hours and 1.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are required for water heating, resulting in approximately 290 million metric tons of water-related CO2 emissions per year. If every household in America installed water efficient fixtures and appliances, the water savings alone would conserve approximately 50 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, 240 billion cubic feet of natural gas and reduce carbon emissions by about 44 million metric tons.

Saving water saves money. According to the Government Accountability Office, thirty-six states are expecting water shortages. The EPA estimates that the funding gap for maintaining and expanding water infrastructure in the U.S. is $533 billion. Investing in water and energy efficient appliances can help obviate the costs of expanding our water infrastructure by providing a “new” supply of water, and save consumers millions of dollars through reduced water and sewer bills.

When designing our state’s Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate program we strongly urge you to include rebates of at least $250 for both clothes- and dishwashers. Doing so would help meet the energy saving and job creation goals of the program, while realizing the additional social, environmental and financial benefits of saving water.

A number of states recognized the value of simultaneously saving water and energy. For instance, California is providing a $100 rebate for clothes washers – the largest amount offered in the state through this program.

To find out what rebates are available in your state, the Department of Energy has put together a great website with a clickable map that will tell you what rebates each state offers and how to you can apply for them. The website also contains additional information as well as answers to a litany of frequently asked questions. Here’s the URL: http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/70020.html.

Find out what rebates your state is offering and encourage everybody in your community to take advantage of this money saving opportunity – especially when the rebates apply to water-using appliance such as clothes washers and dishwashers.

Idaho Rivers United was one of a number of groups that contacted their state energy office and advanced the prioritization of water and energy efficient appliances. Now they have put together an excellent informational pamphlet describing the benefits of saving energy by saving water and the rebates available to residents of Idaho that can help them achieve these savings. For some ideas on how you can promote water and energy savings through the appliance rebate program in your state, download IRU’s pamphlet.