Connecticut Uses Federal Stimulus Money for Appliance Rebates

If you're thinking of buying a new appliance this winter or spring, here's a way to save a few clams:

BRISTOL -- Now is the time to replace electric appliances with more efficient, energy saving ones -- new federal stimulus rebates of $50 to $500 are available for those who do.

Connecticut is using $3.4 million in federal stimulus funds to offer rebates on Energy Star-rated refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, room air conditioners and central air systems.

Sen. Tom Colapietro announced Connecticut’s new applicance rebate program -- paid with federal stimulus dollars -- Friday at the Bristol Community Organization, a regional non-profit agency that handles energy assistance applications.

“People are hurting,” said Colapietro. He said the rebates should help stimulate the economy by encouraging people to buy appliances.

Those who can afford to replace old appliances, he said, will save themselves some “real money” as the buyers get a rebate and the stores get a sale.

“Everybody wins,” said Colapietro, comparing the deal to the “cash for clunkers” program. “We try to help people as much as we can.”

The rebates are easy to get, Colapietro said. He said the forms are online and simple to fill out, joking that even he was able to manage it.

Rebates are $50 for refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners, $100 for washers and $500 for central air systems.

The rebate program runs through the end of April and may be extended if funds remain. State residents are eligible for one rebate per appliance but can get as many as three for room air conditioners.

Federal tax credits are already in place for people who make larger investments in energy saving measures in the home, such as new windows.

Colapietro praised BCO for offering many types of assistance, and the expertise to help people find the help they need from other agencies as well.

“The trouble with people today is they don’t know where to go for help,” said Colapietro. “There’s lots of help for people.”

Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO, said the agency has seen “unprecedented increases” in the number of people seeking help with energy costs.

Compared with two years ago, the number of applicants is up 200 percent, Morrow said.

“It’s a whole new class of client,” said Morrow, many of whom have never sought help before.

Joseph Roy Jr. of Bristol, an artist and illustrator for religious books, said his work slowed in the recession and he found himself struggling. A friend suggested he come to BCO for help, he said.

“It’s a great organization,” said Roy. “There are a lot of people out there who need this. This is a dream come true.”

Roy said it wasn’t hard to get help with his heating bill through BCO. He just had to provide some financial information to qualify, he said.

“I’m so glad that I found out that they were here,” he said.

Another way people can save, Colapietro said, is to shop around for electricity. He said the power companies are required to provide a list of competing electricity suppliers if asked.

Consumers can purchase power from a variety of outlets, Colapietro said, and may be able to save $10 to $15 a month by doing so, if they’re careful shoppers.

“Read the fine print,” he cautioned.

More information on the rebate program is available online at www.ct.gov/opm/ApplianceRebates. Forms will be available in stores after Feb. 1 and forms will be sent in the mail to those who call 1-877-947-3873.

Need for home heating help still rising in Bristol

Here's a story I wrote for Friday's Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) about how the dramatic rise in requests from residents for help with home heating bills continues to rise. Tom Morrow, the executive director of the Bristol Community Organization, didn't know of any reason for the increase other than the lousy economy. The caseworkers at BCO are scrambling to process all the applications:

The number of people applying for energy assistance to heat their homes through the Bristol Community Organization continues to rise.

“The volume has increased dramatically,” said Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO.

Morrow blamed the poor economy as the primary source of the 2,202 cases as of mid-November, three and a half months after starting to accept applications. That’s 230 more households in need this winter than at the same time last winter.

“They’ve lost their jobs. They’ve had their hours cut,” Morrow said.

Some people may have had money put aside, said Morrow, but had to use it to cover expenses.

“Now they’ve depleted all their savings,” he said.

Because of the high demand, BCO caseworkers are processing more than 80 applications for help every day, according to Morrow.

Appointments are backed up until March, with people who use deliverable fuel like oil, propane, wood or coal served first because they aren’t protected by a shutoff ban.

“We want to hear from them sooner than later,” said Morrow.

Customers of utility companies can be classified as a hardship, which means the company can’t cut off their heat during the coldest months. It buys some time for processing a heating assistance claim, so those applications are handled later in the winter or early in spring.

When someone comes to BCO for help with heating bills, the caseworker will also advise them about other programs they may qualify for, said Morrow, such as food stamps or home weatherization.

“We can kind of triage the situation,” said Morrow, and give guidance on how and where to apply for other help.

Morrow said a comparison is best made between this winter and the winter of two years ago because in both instances, the agency began accepting applications on August 1. Last year, the intake began a little later, Morrow said.

The difference between those two seasons shows a jump of more than 200 percent, said Morrow.

“We’re the highest increase of any area in the state,” said Morrow.

According to information from Connecticut Association for Community Action, an organization of a dozen community action agencies like BCO, the Bristol-based non-profit showed an increase of 229 percent increase in the number of applications through mid-November.

The state average for the same time period was a 125 percent increase.

After Bristol, the area that showed the biggest increase in the two-year time span was Stamford, with a jump of 201 percent, followed by Danbury with a leap of 185 percent.

BCO serves low income, handicapped and elderly residents of Bristol, Plymouth, Plainville, Farmington and Burlington.

To apply for heating assistance, call BCO at 860-584-2725.

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