Refrigerator Reinvestment Program Launches May 24th in conjunction with Montana Appliance Rebates
PRESS RELEASE: May 20, 2010
Refrigerator Reinvestment Program Launches May 24th in conjunction with Montana Appliance Rebates
Starting Monday May 24th the Montana Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program will offer financial incentives, from $50 to $100, for Montanans to invest in Energy Star-certified appliance products.
The Community Closet, a Livingston nonprofit thrift store, wants to sweeten the deal to encourage the donation of newer (2001 and later) refrigerators so they can remarket these still-efficient appliances so older energy-intensive units can be removed from the grid. According to Executive Director Caron Cooper, “Consumers with older refrigerator models should see a savings of $100 to $200 per year, something quite remarkable in these challenging economic times.”
The Refrigerator Re-Investment Program will partner with Truex Furniture and Appliances in Livingston. The Community Closet will offer new refrigerator purchasers a “reinvestment” bonus of between $50 – $100 to the local nonprofit of the buyer’s choice ($100 if you donate an Energy Star model, $50 for any regular model manufactured in 2001 or later).
Cooper, who holds a PhD in Energy and Resources, noted this is the first time the Community Closet has entered the efficiency market. “I’m stepping in because these federal stimulus incentives ignore most of my shoppers. Rebates aren’t affective for low and moderate-income families because these folks don’t have the cash or credit to purchase major appliances. In Montana a double-whammy is that most folks in this income category are on budget billing, so it could take up to 2 years to start seeing any payback on your utility bill.”
Community Closet hopes to provide up to 20 low-cost refrigerators to consumers. Executive Director of the Community Closet, Caron Cooper stated, “It’s unfortunate that this federally-funded ‘cash for clunkers’ program has one glaring error– you don’t have to own a clunker to qualify for a rebate. The latest refrigerator standards were implemented in 2001, so there might be a lot of good, efficient stock being replaced for aesthetic reasons like upgrading to stainless steel. We anticipate our units will still be 3 to 4 times more efficient than refrigerators made in the 70s, 80s or 90s, and we want to get that sort of savings out of the dump into the community.”
The potential for energy savings is significant, and by offering thrift-store prices, the consumer saves twice. Cooper estimates that the cost per kilowatt-hour [...]
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