Limited $250 Rebate for ENERGY STAR Purchase on Maui

By Wendy Osher

Image courtesy Hawaii Energy.

Hawaii Energy, the State’s energy conservation and efficiency program, is offering a limited time $250 rebate for ENERGY STAR refrigerators purchased from local appliance retailers for residents of Hawaii and Maui counties beginning March 7, 2011.

Approximately $200,000 has been allocated for the program, with the majority of fund coming from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The offer is available for two weeks only on a first-come, first-served basis while funding lasts.

The offer is aimed at lessening utility costs for homes and reducing energy consumption for the county.

Energy-efficient refrigerators can use up to 40 percent less energy than older models.  Replacing a 10-year old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR model can save up to $2,000 annually in electricity bills, and 13 barrels of oil each, over a 15-year lifespan.

Native Hawaiian homestead residents of Hawaii and Maui counties will also be eligible for $250 rebates for ENERGY STAR® refrigerators and/or clothes washers through additional support from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA). A limited number of applications are available.

“This limited-time incentive will last for just two weeks – yet the benefits to Hawaii’s ecosystem and on participants’ lowered energy bills will last for years,” said Crystal Ingalls, project assistant at Hawaii Energy.

Participating Retailers include the following:

Maui Retailers:

• Hamai Appliance
• Lowe’s
• Recycler – Schnitzer

Kona Retailers:

• Home Depot
• Hokoda’s
• Recycler – Big Island Scrap

Hilo Retailers:

• Sears
• Home Depot
• Recycler – Big Island Scrap