this is a great idea. :
$300 million will buy about 6 million toasters. now, why money should be taken from some people so other people can buy a toaster is beyond me, but this is the sort of rampant silliness that happens when you confuse "popular" with "successful".
Coming soon: cash for appliancesThe popularity of Cash for Clunkers has built excitement for the government's next program to stimulate the economy and save energy: cash for appliances.
In June, the Department of Energy said it is making
$300 million in stimulus-act money available to state energy offices to offer rebates on energy-efficient household appliances. California's share is $35.27 million.
Unlike the $3 billion clunkers program, which required an old car to be traded in, consumers do not have to turn in an old appliance to get a rebate on a new one.
Another difference: The clunkers program was consistent nationwide, but each state can decide which appliance categories will be eligible for rebates, how energy efficient they must be, the amount of the rebates, whether they can be combined with other rebates, how the money will be tracked, and how consumers and retailers will know when it is about to run out.
The California Energy Commission, which will receive the money in California, has made no decisions about any of these issues.
"We have until Oct. 15 to apply for the program. The federal government has until the end of November to disburse awards back to the state," says Amy Morgan, a spokeswoman for the commission. She says consumers can start getting rebates "later this fall or maybe early 2010." In the meantime, she says, consumers should investigate rebates offered by utilities.
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