Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) encouraged the state of Connecticut to apply for nearly $3.36 million available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the Department of Energy’s new State-run rebate programs for consumer purchases of new ENERGY STAR qualified home appliances.

“More energy efficient appliances will not only help families reduce their monthly bills, but will also help reduce energy consumption. Innovative programs, like this rebate program by the Energy Department, will help families access more energy efficient appliances, while creating jobs and helping our economic recovery,” said DeLauro.

The new funding will be awarded to states and territories, through their energy offices, using a formula set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Each state or territory is required to submit a plan that specifies which ENERGY STAR appliance categories will be included in their rebate program, the rebate level for each product type, how the rebates will be processed, and their plan for recycling old appliances. States and territories must first file an initial application expressing their intent to participate by August 15, 2009, followed by a full application by October 15, 2009.

Eligible Appliances

States have the flexibility to select which residential ENERGY STAR qualified appliances to include in their programs and the individual rebate amount for each appliance. DOE recommends that states and territories focus their program efforts on heating and cooling equipment, appliances, and water heaters as these products offer the greatest energy savings potential. ENERGY STAR qualified appliance categories eligible for rebates include: central air conditioners, heat pumps (air source and geothermal), boilers, furnaces (oil and gas), room air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, and water heaters.

This program will also leverage the power of the ENERGY STAR program, a well-known labeling program that helps consumers make energy smart choices by identifying the most energy efficient products. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that covers more than 60 product categories and is supported by a network of almost 600 utility and state and government partners serving more than 74 million households, over 2,000 retail partners representing more than 27,000 storefronts, and 2,645 manufacturers of ENERGY STAR qualified products.