Rebates available for appliances

ASPEN ” Holy Cross Energy and Aspen Electric are offering bigger-than-usual rebates for a limited time to people who purchase certain energy-efficient appliances.

The utility operators are trying to provide incentives for people to buy appliances that have the Energy Star certification. Holy Cross Energy is offering rebates of up to $50 for programmable thermostats. It is also offering up to $50 for purchases of at least eight compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Holy Cross rebates include $120 for refrigerator disposal. Units with Freon can be taken to Creative Auto Recycling and Salvage in Rifle; units without Freon can be taken to local landfills.

Holy Cross will also give $150 rebates for Energy Star-certified refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers.

The city of Aspen’s incentives are: $225 for Energy Star appliances, such as refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers; $3 a watt for solar photovoltaic panels, up to $9,000 per installation; 50 percent of the cost of a home energy audit, up to $500; and 20 percent of the cost of a ground-source heat pump, up to $4,000.

Holy Cross, with 53,000 meters in its system in Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties, is offering the higher incentives for purchases made from June 15 through Sept. 15. Program details and application forms are available at http://www.holycross.com; refer to the “$$ Economic Stimulus Campaign $$” header.

Aspen Electric, with 2,400 meters, is able to offer its higher incentives until Dec. 15.

Customers of Holy Cross and the city of Aspen are also eligible for rebates from the Community Office for Resource Efficiency. More information on those rebates is available at http://www.aspencore.org.