Newton Independent
The Iowa Office of Energy Independence posted on its Web site this afternoon that Iowans turned out in record numbers today to participate in the appliance rebate program and have exhausted all of the cash in the six rebate categories less than eight hours after the program's start.
The office was acting as manager of the federal stimulus money aimed at getting consumers to replace old appliances with qualifying energy-efficient models. The state had more than $2.7 million allocated to it as part of the federal stimulus package.
Late this morning, the toll free registration phone line and registration Web site crashed due to heavy usage.
"We have never experienced this kind of response for any rebate program and Iowans should be proud of their efforts to save energy," said officials with Helgeson Enterprises, the contracting firm hired to oversee its implementation. The company also oversaw rebate programs in Michigan, Georgia and Minnesota, which also saw registration overload today.
Those interested in applying for a rebate will be placed on a waiting list and will be eligible for rebates if those registering fail to comply with terms in a specified time period.
The state office had previously anticipated the first-come, first-served program would run two and four weeks before the funding was exhausted.
More information on the program can be found here.
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