While browsing through articles from the National
Association of Realtor’s, an author was going over the different changes she has
made in her home to save on utilities and get paid for doing so. Mentioning
ideas from buying high efficiency light bulbs in bulk to upgrading major
appliances, it sounded great except for the fact that she is on the East Coast
and the programs she mentions are not for us Californians! Be not discouraged...We have done the research
for you and found a few programs that ARE available in our local areas. With
several of the utility providers offering rebates for the same upgrade, we can
look at saving on utilities like stacking coupons at the grocery store; making
small changes with double the savings!
Refrigerators -
They are constantly running yet often forgotten, that is until the morning we
wake up and smell something funny
coming from the kitchen; only to find our fridge full of half spoiled good. As
tragic as it would be to lose a fridge full of food, SCE offers a slight
reprieve by the means of Incentives and Rebates. Coming in at $50 is a Refrigerator
Recycling Incentive that offers to pick up your old fridge or freezer and
recycle it free of charge. With that old thing out of the way, you can
take advantage of their rebate of up to $75 for purchasing a qualified
Energy Star Refrigerator.
Water Heaters...We
hate the amount of energy they use, but are thankful for them each time we take
a hot shower. The Gas Company
lists 2 separate rebate options for purchasing a new unit; $100 for a qualified
Energy
Star High-Efficiency Natural Gas water heater with an Energy Factor (EF) of
0.67 or higher, or a $30 rebate for a qualified High-Efficiency Natural Gas
water heater with an EF of 0.62 - 0.66. PG&E offers a
similar rebate for Energy Star High-Efficiency Gas Storage Water Heater with an
EF of 0.67 or higher. They are willing to shell out $200 per unit for making
the change in your home. They also offer a rebate for those who would be replacing
an Electric Heat Pump Water Heater; by purchasing an Energy Star Electric Heat
Pump Water Heater with an EF of 2.0 or higher, you will be receiving a rebate
of $500! Not wanting to be left out, SCE
also provides a $30 rebate for those who need to replace a qualified Electric Storage Water Heater as well as
a $200 rebate for a qualified Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater
Pools are a great
way to stay cool in the summer but we never knew that replacing the pump and
motor could put cash in our pockets...Until we started this quest for cash
through the world of utility rebates... PG&E offers $100 per unit for those
who replace their pool pump with a qualified Variable-Speed Pool Pump for
Filtration Only. SCE provides a rebate of up to $200 for replacing your single
or two speed pool pump with a qualified
Variable Speed Pool Pump and Motor model.
Light bulb saving
options were the most intriguing idea from the original post. SCE customers can
take advantage of reduced prices on energy-efficient LED lighting products when
purchased through Bulbs.com
and EFI.org. The program allows each household to purchase
up to 16 bulbs in a 6 month time period, and given the longer bulb-life of
these models that means definite savings.
These are just a few of the many ways that the local utility
companies are putting cash back in your pockets through their rebate and
incentive programs. Be sure to check out the websites below for specific details
and several other rebate options that are available.
Interested in buying a house where you can make these money saving upgrades and start investing in your future...Contact one of our experienced Realtors who can help you start your search.
-
How I Learned to Stop Wasting Energy and Love My Utility
If you haven’t nosed around on your utility’s website recently, you’re likely missing a break on your bills. Read
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.
Copyright 2014 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
No comments:
Post a Comment