New Year to Kick Off With U.S. Homeowners Eligible to Receive Hundreds in Rebates For Buying Energy Efficient Appliances
December 21, 2009 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis 
Up until now, the vast majority of the federal stimulus money has only trickled down to local governments, nonprofits, and businesses promising to create training programs and jobs for Americans.
Well, we’re finally starting to see some of that money go directly into the hands of homeowners. Last summer, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the availability of nearly $300 million in funding for state-run rebate programs for consumers who purchase new qualified home appliances.
Each state and territory was required to submit a plan that specified which appliance categories would be included in their rebate program; the level of rebate for each product type; how the rebates would be processed; and their plans for recycling old appliances.
As of Dec. 16, the department has approved 54 state and territory rebate programs. Hawaii and Virginia are expected to be approved by the end of the month. The three states where the program has already launched at the consumer level are: Delaware, Kansas, and Oregon.