Posted on 12 February 2010 by Bilal
Don't Wast Your Money Cash For Appliances Is Here!:
Unlike Cash for Clunkers, you don’t need to turn in an old appliance to qualify for a rebate.
You just have to buy one of many new energy efficient appliances, do some paperwork, and wait for the money.
You could say this new appliance rebate program is a win, win, win!
It'll put cash back in your pocket, help retailers, and help the environment as more of us buy more energy efficient appliances.
The rebates
So here’s how it works. Buy a qualifying washing machine and you’ll get $50 back... a dishwasher, either $25 or $50 depending on the models, it’s $50 or $100 back for a refrigerator…
Buy a propane water heater and you’re eligible for $100 dollars.
You’ll get $300 back if you buy a new propane or oil furnance.
You can find out exactly which models qualify at www.mirebates.com, but be sure, appliance retailers, hungry for your business will be happy to help you figure it all out with access to the state's website and the rebate form or application you need.
Tom Brillati/ABC Warehouse:"If they'd like to look it up while they’re in the store and they can see what does qualify."
What you need to do !!
After you buy the appliance, you need to send in your receipt with the application, and within two weeks, you’ll receive either a pre-paid visa gift card loaded your rebate amount or a check if you bought a furnace or hot water heater.
There’s close to nine million dollars allotted to the program. And when it’s gone, it’s gone. So if you’re thinking about buying a new appliance, but aren’t sure yet, you might want to reserve a rebate at www.mirebates.com or by calling (866) 621-8782 . As long as money is still available, it sets some aside for you and gives you two weeks to buy the appliance and send the stuff in.
What do you do with your old appliance?
Well, that’s up to you. If the appliance is working, you can donate it. Habitat for Humanity Restore for example will pick it up and put it through a 15-point inspection. They fix whatever needs to be fixed and then sell the appliance at an incredible price to someone who needs it.
Can't afford a new appliance?
Let’s just say you’d love to buy a new appliance, maybe you’re even having some trouble with your old one, but you simply can’t afford it. Don’t forget about the great resource www.repairclinic.com, a company based in Canton that offers free repair advice.
"I think the biggest misconception is people feel they can’t do it themselves. We help people by giving free repair help, how to repair the appliance, how to install the part. We help make it easier for people to repair that appliance themselves," says Chris Hall, president of repairclinic.com.
Buying a new one?
Keep in mind these rebates are in addition to rebates DTE, MichCon and Consumers Energy offer when you buy certain qualifying appliances. You can learn more about those by clicking on the links above.
Posted on 12 February 2010 by Bilal
Energy Savers Gov:Energy Savers provides homeowners with tips for saving energy and money at home and on the road. By following just a few of the simple tips found on this Energy Savers Web site, you can make your home more comfortable and easier to heat and cool ,while you save money. We bring you the latest information on energy-saving, efficient technologies. We even give tips for using clean, renewable energy to power your home.
We help you beat the high cost of fuel, with driving and car maintenance tips to save you money on the road.
Some of the tips are simple to do. Others require more effort and investment, but promise big savings over the years.
We encourage you to check out the Web site and make improvements today and this year that will contribute to your energy bottom line and make our planet healthier and cleaner!
Posted on 12 February 2010 by Bilal
Energysavers.Gov: Gallup's annual Social Series Lifestyle poll on what a typical American does in a typical day indicated laundry was one of the top tasks for both men and women.60 eight percent of wives and 10 percent of husbands did laundry in a typical day, with both spending approximately 2.8 and 2.1 hours, respectively, on housekeeping, including laundry.
The Environmental Protection Agency says the average family washes nearly 400 loads of laundry a year -- more than load a day -- and Americans spend more than $3 billion on detergent.
But while many people to loathe laundry day, when it's time to get down and dirty with your family's clothing, there are ways to make the job more environmentally-friendly and get better results, while saving money, as well!
Green living expert Danny Seo, a syndicated columnist and author of the "Simply Green" book series and of "Do Just One Thing," spelled them out, on "The Early Show Saturday Edition".
First, bear in mind that 90 percent of the energy used by a washing machine is for heating water; cold water washing can yield significant energy savings.
There are innovations and products that aren't just more Earth-friendly, they're designed to cut back on the amount of time, money and resources used to do laundry.
IF YOU NEED A NEW WASHER, NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY :
The Department of Energy recently allocated $300 million to all 50 states as part of its "Cash for Appliances" rebate program. States have compiled different rules and regulations on when their programs will start, what will qualify and how you can apply the rebate savings. The overall rule is that only Energy Star-rated appliances will be eligible. That means for states offering rebates on washing machines, the same rebate won't apply to the matching dryer, since no dryers currently qualify for the Energy Star mark. So, if your dryer is working fine, just buy the washing machine to take advantage of the rebate. All programs are starting at different times -- from February to April -- and will continue until all the funding is used up. Keep track of your state at EnergySavers.gov/Rebates.
Seo showed a Whirlpool Duet Energy Star-qualified washer. It uses 74 percent less water and 80 percent less energy than a typical washer and can save up to $900 in energy costs, basically paying for itself.
STOP OVERDOSING :
One dirty secret of the laundry business is that we're all guilty of over-dosing. If you've ever filled a washing machine with clothes you felt could use an extra boost of cleaning power, you may have added more than the recommended amount of detergent. Believe it or not, that can actually make your clothes dirtier.
Since washing machines are becoming more energy- and water-efficient, too much detergent can leave a film on your clothes. Since detergent is designed to attract dirt, wearing overdosed clothing can actually make them dirtier, faster, when you wear them, causing you to wash your clothes more often. And residual detergent inside the machine can build up, causing the machine to work less efficiently and leaving a mildew smell.
To "clean" your washing machine, pour two cups of white vinegar and run the machine as usual. That will remove all the residual soap and give you a clean palette to start from.
CHUCK THE DETERGENT JUG :
One of the drudgeries of laundry is hauling the heavy jug of detergent home from the grocery store. It was only in 2007 that Wal-Mart mandated that detergent sold in their stores had to be a minimum of two-times concentrated, which led to smaller bottles and a savings of 95 million pounds of plastic resin. Less-watered down formulas saved 400 million gallons of water. Three years later, a detergent bottle so small it can fit in your front pocket will be debuting. It's eight-times concentrated and features a patented precise pump that delivers the exact amount of detergent needed, with no messy caps or drips on the side of the bottle. For city-dwellers, busy moms and anyone who dreads dragging a heavy bottle to the laundromat or home from the store, this is a revolution in laundry.
LET YOUR HAMPER SORT FOR YOU
Nothing can ruin a load of laundry like a red sock mixed with a load of whites. To save on the thime it takes to sort through dirty clothes spread all over the floor or on the table at the laundromat, invest in a three-compartment hamper that sorts whites, colors and delicate clothes for you. Each compartment is marked clearly with a sign, so every member of your family knows what goes in which bin. For apartment dwellers, three-compartment tote bags are also available for smaller washes.
SPEED UP THE DRYING PROCESS :
While a clothesline may be the greenest option, it's not the fastest or practical for most people. To save time, try to dry one batch of clothes after another; the residual heat from the first batch will dry the next one faster. Add a DRY towel to a batch of wet clothes in the dryer; the towel will absorb moisture while the clothing dries and speed up the drying process. When drying towels and bedding, throw in two tennis balls saturated with fabric softener; the balls will help fluff the towels and bedding to speed up drying, keep them softer and less-wrinkly, and save you money, since you won't need to invest in fabric softener sheets.
