If spring cleaning includes getting rid of your old refrigerator or brightening up a room, we’ve got some ideas for you. Chelan PUD is offering rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades on several products for your home.

Items and the rebate amounts are:

• LED downlight retrofit kits, $25
• Electric storage water heaters, $25-$125
• Clothes washers, $30-$75
• Refrigerators and freezers, $50
• Line voltage zoned thermostats, $115
• Heat pump water heaters, $300-$500

All ENERGY STAR refrigerators, freezers and clothes washers are eligible. Rebate amounts for some products vary based on the energy-efficiency of the model selected.

Find complete information on the program here.

The program offers quick turn-around of 7 to 10 business days if you elect to receive a check, or if you choose the new Tango Card, you can redeem it immediately for your choice of gift cards at 17 premier retailers such as Amazon, Starbucks and Home Depot. Or you can donate your rebate to your choice of eight charities such as Habitat for Humanity.

Find the details here.

P.S. Recycle your old refrigerator or freezer for free and get a $30 rebate from the PUD. Find out how.

Heating and cooling  no longer make up the majority of home energy use

Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that space heating and cooling now account for less than half of energy consumption in U.S. homes. Forty-eight percent of energy consumption in U.S. homes in 2009 was for heating and cooling, down from 58 percent in 1993. “Factors underpinning this trend are increased adoption of more efficient equipment, better insulation, more efficient windows, and population shifts to warmer climates,” the report states.

More proof that upgrading insulation and installing new windows saves energy while improving the comfort of a home.  And more reason for Chelan PUD to promote its program offering rebates on insulation and windows.

While energy used for space conditioning has declined, energy consumption for appliances and electronics continues to rise, the report notes. Although some appliances that are subject to federal efficiency standards, such as refrigerators and clothes washers, have become more efficient, the increased number of devices that consume energy in homes has offset these efficiency gains, EIA states. Non-weather-related energy use for appliances, electronics, water heating and lighting now accounts for 52 percent of total consumption, up from 42 percent in 1993.

Chelan County PUD will begin offering rebates on energy-efficient appliances in April 2013.

The shift in how energy is consumed in homes has occurred even as per-household energy consumption has steadily declined, the report notes. Read a report summary here.

Now’s the time to move that old energy-hog refrigerator out of your garage or kitchen. Chelan County PUD is working with JACO Environmental to pick up and recycle old refrigerators and freezers for free. Customers who participate will receive a $30 rebate. The requirements are: 

• The refrigerator or freezer must be clean, empty, defrosted, and in working condition.
• The unit must meet the size requirement which is 10 to 30 cubic feet.
• Customers must have an active electric account with Chelan County Public Utility District at the address where you would like Jaco to pick up the refrigerator/freezer.
• Limit of two (2) units per customer address per calendar year. (If you are recycling one side-by-side refrigerator, it will be considered as one appliance for recycling. It will not be counted as two separate units.)
• An adult, 18 or older, must be present to sign and release the unit at the time of the pickup.
• The unit needs to be plugged in and running on the day of the pickup.
• Appliance must be disconnected from water lines prior to the pickup crew’s arrival.
• Customer must provide clear and safe access to the appliance for the removal team.

Schedule an appointment to have your refrigerator or freezer picked up for recycling here. Customers can also schedule pickup by phone at (877) 577-0510. Questions? Call Jaco at the same number.

Jaco provides an effective way for consumers and utilities to responsibly recycle household appliances, resulting in energy conservation, lower utility bills, and a safer environment.

Gadgets, gizmos and lots of good stuff for your home and garden await you at the KPQ Home and Garden Show, March 8-10 at the Town Toyota Center.

Chelan PUD staff will be on hand with information on new programs including appliance rebates, refrigerator recycling and duct testing and sealing for manufactured homes. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter and receive your choice of an LED night light or a compact fluorescent light bulb. Interested in paperless billing? We can help with that, too.

More than 150 exhibitors will set up displays inside and outside the center.  Learn the latest in home construction, decor and — of course — energy savings and green living.

WSU Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions, share about the Xeriscape and Community Education gardens, and diagnose problems you may be having in your backyard. Need a pair of gloves or a Day by Day Resource Guide on what to do in your garden when? You can get both at this year’s show. A schedule of seminars and workshops is available here.

Show hours are Friday, March 8, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 9, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

See you there!

Higher rebates for insulation and windows extended through 2013

An enthusiastic response from customers has prompted Chelan County PUD to extend double incentives for energy-efficient glass and insulation through 2013.

The double rebates offer began in October and was to expire at the end of this year. But the program has proved so popular with customers and retailers that PUD managers decided to extend it.

“We’re excited that so many customers are taking advantage of this to weatherize their homes,” said Mark Wiser, senior conservation adviser for the PUD. “For the customer, it means energy savings and improved comfort. For local businesses, it means additional work and jobs.

“For the PUD, it means we’re that much closer to meeting our targets for conservation” under the state Energy Independence Act.

Through 2013, customers will be eligible to receive rebates of $6 per square foot for new, energy-efficient windows and 50 cents per square foot for added insulation.

Since incentives were doubled to these rates on Oct. 3, the PUD received 78 applications from customers for rebates. That means about a third of all applications received so far this year were submitted in the last nine weeks.

Energy saved in Chelan County helps keep local rates low. When residential and business customers conserve, that power can be sold on the wholesale market at a higher rate. It also reduces the need to purchase higher-cost power when, on occasion, the power is needed to meet demand during the winter heating season.

Local retailers and contractors have seen an uptick in business this fall during a time traditionally slow for business and during a struggling economy. “We’ve talked to some local business people who’ve had trouble keeping up with all their orders for windows,” Wiser noted

Details on how to apply for rebates are on the PUD website here. Rebates also are available on ductless heat pumps. Rebates on energy-efficient appliances and a recycling program for refrigerators are planned in 2013.