Rebates are now available on energy-efficient dishwashers and other appliances and water heaters.

A state program offering rebates on high-efficiency clothes washers and Energy Star refrigerators has been expanded to include several more appliances. Rebates now available through the Washington State Cash for Appliances program are:

• $100 rebate on high-efficiency clothes washers
• $75 rebate on ENERGY STAR® refrigerators
• $75 rebate on ENERGY STAR® dishwashers
• $200 rebate on ENERGY STAR® gas storage water heaters
• $300 rebate on ENERGY STAR® gas condensing tankless water heaters
• $250 rebate on ENERGY STAR® heat pump water heaters
• $750 rebate on ENERGY STAR® ductless air source heat pumps

Provisions of the program include:

• Must recycle your old refrigerator (click here for information on recycling at Chelan County’s Dryden transfer station)
•  Purchase on or after March 15, 2010
•  Rebates are in addition to available utility or manufacturer rebates (Chelan PUD does not have its own rebate program at this time)
• Rebates available while funds last

Complete information, eligibility requirements and rebate forms are available on the Washington State Cash for Appliances website.

Local celebrities share their energy- and water-saving tips
We asked people active in our communities — local celebrities, if you will — to share their favorite conservation tips. Watch the video to learn what the mayor of Wenatchee, the Apple Blossom queen, the AppleSox Coyote and others are doing to save energy and water.

Do you have a favorite tip? Post a comment to share yours.

Calculate the cost of making your morning coffee on Chelan PUD's Website.

A new feature on Chelan County PUD’s Website  allows customers to calculate the energy cost of everything from coffeemakers to hot tub heaters.

You can choose from a list of pre-defined appliances and wattages, or you can type specific information in. To be completely accurate, you’ll need to know the wattage of each applliance and how many minutes or hours it’s used each day. The calculator tells you how many kilowatt hours are consumed and the total cost.

Heating, cooling and hot water use the most energy in your home, so those are two good places to start when you’re looking to save energy. Lower your heating thermostat at night (or in the summer, set your AC thermostat a little higher). Every degree can take 2 percent off your power bill. Set your water heater at 120 degrees F.

The appliance calculator is available here.

The average cost of running your coffeemaker, by the way, is 14 cents a month. The average cost of operating your hot tub heater is $14 a month.

Ready to get rid of that old clunky clothes washer? How about ditching that retro refrigerator in your garage used basically for a beverage cooler?

Rebates are available for high-efficiency clothes washers and Energy Star refrigerators through the new Washington State Cash for Appliances program. Using federal stimulus funds, the state Department of Commerce is offering $100 rebates on high-efficiency clothes washers and $75 rebates on Energy Star® refrigerators.

The program is expected to result in 15,000 fridges and 45,000 clothes washers being replaced by new efficient models, saving Washington residents approximately $1,006,607 in energy costs, saving 355 million gallons of water and preventing 8,042 tons (16,083,192 lbs.) of CO2 annually.

To be eligible, consumers must recycle their old appliances and provide proof.
The appliances must be purchased on or after March 15, 2010.  Rebates are available while funds last.

Details and application forms are available here.

A steady stream of seemingly endless hot water is one goal of tankless water heaters, but the PUD does not recommend electric tankless heaters.

Since about 20 percent of a home’s energy costs are the result of heating hot water, many customers contact Chelan PUD about alternatives to the standard water tank. One popular option considered by these consumers is the on-demand water heater, also known as “tankless” or “instantaneous.” 

Traditional storage water heaters keep water hot at all times, even when it’s not being used, which produces standby energy losses. In other words, you’re spending money to keep water hot even when you don’t need it. On-demand water heaters provide hot water only as it is needed. 

Sounds like a good idea, but the PUD does not recommend electric on-demand water heaters. “The reason for this is the high electric demand these units require,” said Mark Wiser, residential program manager. “An electric on-demand water heater large enough for a family of four will require approximately 20 kilowatts (20,000 watts) of power to operate. This compares to 4 kilowatts for an electric water heater with a storage tank or 13 to 16 kilowatts for an electric furnace or air-source heat pump.” 

Customers might need to upgrade their service panel to handle the extra load. Plus the units themselves are expensive, Wiser said, costing two to three times more than a storage tank water heater. 

On the other hand, Wiser noted, gas and propane on-demand water heaters work very well, don’t have a big electrical demand, and are eligible for a federal tax credit.

Related article
Demand water heaters (Department of Energy Web site)

Vampire power, also known as phantom load, is the electricity that electronics and appliances use while they are turned off or in standby mode.  While it may seem like just a small nibble in your home energy consumption, vampire power quickly adds up to be a significant drain nationally on energy resources.

Standby power is beneficial when used in remote controls, clock displays, and timers. But too often it’s simply wasted because cell phone chargers, iPod chargers, power adapters and other devices not being used are left plugged in.
According to Energy Star, the amount of energy used by products when they are in standby mode is significant. The average U.S. household spends $100 per year to power devices while they are off (or in standby mode). On a national basis, standby power accounts for more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of annual U.S. electricity consumption and more than $10 billion in annual energy costs.

The Energy Star Web site lists these tips for ridding your home of energy spooks:

• Look for ENERGY STAR when shopping. All ENERGY STAR qualified products are among the lowest power consuming in their category in standby mode.
• Enable the ENERGY STAR power management settings on your computer and monitor, so they go into power save mode when not in use.
• Use a power strip as a central “turn off” point when you are done using equipment, which completely disconnects the power supply. You can use one for your computer and all peripheral equipment, and another for your home electronics (TV, VCR, DVD, stereo, gaming). Keep in mind though that if you’ve set a timer to wake up a product, such as programming a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to record a program, then the product must remain plugged in (and able to draw standby power) to function as intended.
• Unplug your chargers: cell phone chargers, camera chargers, battery chargers or power adapters, etc. These are drawing some amount of energy even when not in use (and even when not connected to an end-use product).

Related links
National Vampire Awareness Day 2008
Vampire power explained
Surge protectors

Need help finding energy savings in your home? Step into the House of Savings and reduce your energy bill.

The House of Savings is a new interactive feature on Chelan County PUD’s Conservation Web page. Place your mouse over a feature in the house and a pop-up box provides tips on saving energy and money. Hover over the thermostat, for example, and you’ll learn that for every degree you set your thermostat lower (or higher for summer cooling) you can reduce your power bill by 2 percent. The items also contain links to related information.

The house is a collaborative effort of  technology, graphics and conservation staff at the PUD. Come on in!