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LIPA Offers Tiered Rebates on ENERGY STAR® Qualified Clothes Washers

ENERGY STAR Clothes Washers Save Energy, Time and Money

Uniondale, NY – March 15, 2006 – The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) today announced that it will expand its ENERGY STAR clothes washer rebate program from a standard $50 mail-in rebate on all ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers to a $50, $35 or $15 mail-in rebate depending on the efficiency level of the clothes washer purchased between February 1st and December 31st 2006.

“The marketplace for electric appliances has advanced to include more energy efficient models,” said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. “LIPA is very pleased with this effort and we are modifying our rebate program to encourage the use of all of these energy and money saving models.”

While all ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers are more efficient than a conventional (non-ENERGY STAR) model, LIPA is rewarding customers who save the most in energy and water by offering tiered rebates based on each clothes washer’s Modified Energy Factor (MEF). MEF is the federal energy performance metric for all clothes washers manufactured after January 1, 2004. MEF takes into account the energy used to run the clothes washer, the energy used to heat the water, and the amount of dryer energy used to remove the remaining moisture in washed items. The higher the MEF, the higher the energy efficiency of the washer machine.

About the New Rebate
Under the new rebate program, clothes washers with an MEF of 1.42-1.79 are eligible for a $15 rebate; clothes washers with an MEF of 1.80-1.99 for a $35 rebate, and those with an MEF of 2.0 and higher are eligible for a $50 rebate. (The MEF can be found on the ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer lists available at www.lipower.org/cei.)

The energy and water savings of ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers are significant compared to a conventional clothes washer, and vary among the LIPA rebate levels. Based on an average of 7.5 loads per week and the LIPA customer rate of .1249 per kWh, consumers can save on average:

• $43 a year in electric costs, and 10,262 gallons of water ($50 eligible rebate models)
• $39 a year in electric costs, and 9,312 gallons of water ($35 eligible rebate models)
• $32 a year in electric costs and 5,662 gallons of water ($15 eligible rebate models)

Even further savings can be realized when adding up the lifetime savings; considering that clothes washers last an average of 11 years, the savings can amount to more than $470 in electric costs and 112,800 gallons of water saved.

History of LIPA ENERGY STAR Clothes Washer Rebate
ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers have greatly increased in popularity since the inception of LIPA’s Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) program. Today consumers are more aware of the ENERGY STAR label and what it represents. A total of 66,673 clothes washer rebates have been processed for LIPA customers over the past five years, nearly 22,000 last year alone.

LIPA attributes this success to several factors, including increased availability of ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer models and increased market presence. Five years ago, only a handful of clothes washers manufactured met the ENERGY STAR qualifications. Today, nearly 300 ENERGY STAR qualified models are available to choose from. The effects of this can be seen at retail locations across Long Island; over the past five years the availability of ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers in Long Island retail stores has increased from 14 to 48 percent.

Retailers report that consumers are becoming more informed about the benefits and savings of ENERGY STAR qualified appliances compared to conventional models. In New York, sales of ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers have increased by 400 percent since 1999. In addition to increased product availability and popularity, ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers in Long Island can now be purchased for as little as $360, the mid-range price of $950, and as high as $2,000.

The new tiered rebate is designed to encourage LIPA consumers to continue to purchase ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers, increase awareness of the ENERGY STAR label, and educate consumers about the varying levels of efficiency within ENERGY STAR.