North Dakota's appliance rebate program begins offering $150 toward energy-efficient refrigerators on Tuesday morning.
About 3,800 rebates will be offered to residents who replace a refrigerator with a full-size Energy Star model and recycle the old one.
"I think interest is high; it's strong," said Jeff Rotenberger, energy program manager with the state's Department of Commerce. "I would not be surprised if we went through the funds very quickly."
Beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, residents can go to www.ndenergystarrebate.com , fill in their information and print out a form. They should then buy the refrigerator.
"We don't want folks buying a refrigerator this weekend and thinking it will qualify because it won't," Rotenberger said.
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The rebate Web site includes a list of more than 50 "qualified retailers" statewide. Consumers can purchase the refrigerator anywhere, including out of state, but must provide proof of disposal if they do not buy from one of the listed stores.
Applications - including the rebate form, proof of purchase and a copy of the applicant's state driver's license - must be postmarked within 30 days. A waiting list with as many as 1,800 names will be compiled to claim rebates not submitted in time.
Rebates will be issued as a Visa debit card and should be received six to eight weeks after the application is submitted.
Minnesota's appliance rebate program, which started March 1 and included refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dishwashers, proved overwhelmingly popular. Within a day, nearly 26,000 rebates were reserved and another 9,400 names were on the waiting list.
As of Thursday, 16,538 rebates had been submitted to the rebate processor, and $683,000 in rebate money was approved and mailed, said Nicole Garrison-Sprenger, communications director for the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Minnesota received $5 million in federal funds for its rebate program.
North Dakota received $615,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with $45,000 being used for program administration.
North Dakota's rebate program applies only to refrigerators to reduce administrative costs and the likelihood of fraud and because refrigerators provide more energy savings than other appliances, Rotenberger said.
Kurt Engquist, appliance and electronic sales manager at Nodak, said he's had some customers pre-shopping for refrigerators. The store will have a computer set up to help people sign up for the rebate.
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"It's really hard to get a grasp on how much action we're going to get," Engquist said. "I'm hoping it's going to be a barn burner."
Appliance rebate
information
Consumers who want to get the $150 rebate can purchase a new refrigerator at any appliance dealer. Certain stores are listed as "qualified retailers," meaning the consumer does not need to submit a separate proof of disposal form.
Qualified retailers in Fargo are:
- Lowe’s, 5001 13th Ave. S.
- Nodak, 3515 Main Ave.
- Sears, West Acres
- Best Buy, 1615 38th St. S.
- Home Depot, 4700 17th Ave. S.
For the appliance rebate form and list of qualified retailers, visit www.ndenergystarrebate.com or call (701) 328-5300 or (877) 402-0062.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Sherri Richards at (701) 241-5556
