WASHINGTON–The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has expressed its support for the stimulus provision released yesterday from the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The stimulus includes $300 million geared toward consumers with rebates for those who buy Energy Star products to replace their old appliances, according to an AHAM statement. The money provides the funding necessary for this rebate program, which was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The rebates would offset the cost differential between Energy Star and non-Energy Star appliances, and would provide important benefits to the environment, AHAM said.
Joseph McGuire, president of AHAM, said the rebate program would also provide consumers who purchase these appliances with “additional discretionary income” through reducing their utility bills. Replacing “older, less efficient appliances with Energy Star products is the single most cost-effective step a consumer can take to save money and energy,” McGuire said.