If you were thinking of buying an energy efficient appliance for Christmas, stop! Wait until after December 20, and the state of Texas will literally give you money to buy it. But after some embarassing problems last spring, you won't be able to file for your rebate online.
The Comptroller tried to launch a round of appliance rebates in April, and it was a disaster. As we reported following the mess, there was a mad dash to cash in on $23 million in rebates, and that crashed the website almost as soon as it went up.
Later, it turned out the company contracted to run the website, Helgeson Enterprises, had similar problems with other clients.
This time around, the State Comptroller is making you file for rebates the old fashioned way, by snail mail. Rebate forms will be available in stores or as a .pdf you can download and print. Your receipt must be dated December 20 or later to be eligible.
An Energy Star central air conditioner will get you a rebate of $1,000. Energy Star dishwashers will net you $85 cash back. Find the full list of rebates here.
The rebate program will last until the $10 million in federal stimulus funds is spent.
