Alabamians have a window of opportunity to spend less money and energy while having the ability to green.
Alabama will receive $4,473,000 in rebates on old appliances in a state effort to become more sustainable.
Alabama will implement a mail-in rebate program to help residents replace older, inefficient appliances with Energy Star qualified appliances.
Alabamians have reserved approximately 18,500 rebates. The reserved rebates are worth approximately $2 million and total approximately half the available funds, according to a press release from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
"It is a program that came out of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which the economic stimulus bill," said Mike Presley, spokesperson for The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. "The money is from the U.S. Department of Energy, and they allocated money to each state."
The concept is similar to "Cash for Clunkers," according to Amy Heinemann, policy analyst for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.
The rebates will available for new Energy Star-labeled appliances and include refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers and room air conditioners.
The Alabama Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate program began April 19 and will run though May 9. Appliances purchased before April 19 are not eligible for rebates.
"The purpose of (the program) is to help stimulate the economy by giving an incentive for customers to go to retailers and buy appliances," Presley said. "And also to help get appliances that use a lot of energy off the grid."
Presley said ADECA is encouraging people to recycle old appliances.
"On the rebate form there is a box where you have to check you are replacing an appliance," Presley said. "But we do encourage people recycling where it is available or just take them to their landfill, there is no real follow-up, we are not checking to see what happens to them."
The program is open to Alabamians older than the age of 18 and will be limited to one rebate per appliance type and only two rebates per household, according to an ADECA press release.
Auburn University is taking steps to become more sustainable, according to Gregory Parsons, University architect for the University.
Solar street lights, LED traffic signals, water-saver toilets and fixtures are just a few of the improvements on Auburn's campus.
Parsons said he has been testing a temporary solar street lamp and they should be up on Magnolia Avenue in a couple of weeks before the installation of permanent lighting.
Parsons encourages traveling by Tiger Transit and bicycle to be more energy efficient.
The South, as a region, has been resistant to change and is behind the rest of the country when it comes to energy-efficiency, said Marilyn Brown of the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-lead researcher of the study.
"An aggressive commitment to energy efficiency could be an economic windfall for the South," Brown said. "Such a shift would lower energy bills for cash-strapped consumers and businesses and create more new jobs for Southern workers."
Rebates can be reserved on alrebates.com or call 1-877-856-6645.
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