Sometimes it seems like a little incentive is all the push we need to make a change we might otherwise put off. When it comes to money we could all use a little more green. Today I’m going to talk about some financial incentives. If you are not in need of a little extra money in your pocket feel free to let me know and I will arrange for pick up…I kid I kid!
A little adventure in discovering how to save a few extra bucks on our monthly utility bill
AND
save on the cost of some energy efficient household appliances
A cash incentive for purchasing high efficiency appliances
and equipment is something I recently discovered. I thought I would share with you guys! My hope is this might be particularly helpful for those living in
Utah/Wyoming/Idaho who receive electrical services through Rocky Mountain Power. But even if you
don’t live in my general vicinity check with your local utility companies to see
what sort of rebates and incentives they provide for purchasing more energy
efficient appliances.
I tried to do a little leg work for you. I know we are all busy and sometimes it really doesn't seem worth it to save a few extra bucks if it creates more work in your already busy schedule. I wanted to investigate how much of a hassle it was going to be for us to actually find appliances that qualified for Rocky Mountain Power's wattsmart Incentives, so here we go
Light Bulbs
Many of us have already converted to CFL (compact
fluorescent light) or LED (light-emitting diode…what is a diode? I had to
google). But did you know there are retailers that offer special pricing
through the Rocky Mountain Power Home Energy Savings Program? Well neither did
I! So I set off to check it out.
You can find a list of participating retailers here. With that being said I didn't see my local Home Depot on the list but while I was there on other business discovered them. So just look around if you're at the store one day.
This was a much better deal than the other bulbs I have seen outside of the Rocky Mountain Power program
The little flag below is how you will know what light bulbs are in the Rocky Mountain Power Program
The Verdict:
This one kind of surprised me, there were some good deals! If you are in the market for CFL or LED bulbs I would take a couple of seconds and find a retailer offering this promotion and save some green! You don't need a coupon or any special statement to tell the cashier, it should be marked and ring up correctly.
Looking to replace an appliance? Why not see if there is an appliance incentive to help you in making your decision
This might be a good time to point out, there are all sorts
of "additional terms and conditions may apply" legal stuff on the website (you
will see it) so make sure you’re doing what is best for you obviously. But if
you can get a little extra dough back for buying a fridge or washer you would
have bought anyway…then why not look into it? Save money on your monthly
bill and get a bonus, as always the goal is win, win.
Refrigerators
Zoomed in on that beast so you would know what to look for
The primary reason this was a little more difficult was just the limited selection compared to what I thought I would find. I wasn't able to easily find a vast selection of fridges that qualified.
The Verdict:
I would still say this one is worth it, you just might need to put a little more effort into ensuring you are going to get the incentive prior to making the purchase.
Dishwasher
Dishwashers seem to be a sweet spot in incentive land. There are a lot of dishwashers that qualify for a the $20 so this one is a little easier to handle than the fridge situation. Get the list here
Just to give you a small example of the price ranges and some of the options available see below. I think you will have good luck with this one if you're in the market for a new dishwasher.
The Verdict:
I don't see how you couldn't find a dishwasher and get an extra $20. I think you would have to actively try to avoid an energy/water efficient dishwasher. Basically, just do it if you're in the market for a dishwasher.
Last but not least....
Clothes Washers
Most of us wash our clothes I hope..or not..no judgement if it's not your thing. While the most energy efficient method may be to walk our basket to the river and use a washboard most of us don't have easy access to a river...that is the only thing stopping me (not really, but I have to try with the jokes here)
There are quite a few options to get up to $50 with the purchase of a clothes washer, list available here. With clothes washers there is also an additional bonus if you are in the market for a gas washer. If you are there is a potential for another $50 through Questar.
With all of these appliance I've highlight the point is, if you're already looking to replace an appliance why not pick one that is more energy/water efficient. This will not only help the environment but ultimately help you. You will save money through incentives like the ones I highlighted today and you will save money on your energy bill in almost every scenario...Unless of course you all of a sudden decide to leave the fridge door open or run your dishes through the washer twice every time you're going to come out money ahead.
As you may have noticed with the exception of the gas washer these were all electrical appliances. Questar also offers rebates for some water heaters and HVAC upgrades. It is worth checking out if you're in the market.
One last time if you want to explore rebates and incentives since I openly admit I did not cover all of the glorious possibilities
Rocky Mountain Power
Questar Gas
As you may have noticed with the exception of the gas washer these were all electrical appliances. Questar also offers rebates for some water heaters and HVAC upgrades. It is worth checking out if you're in the market.
Rocky Mountain Power
Questar Gas
Thanks for reading
Until the next time...
Until the next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment