It may pay home owners to hold off replacing their water heaters.

HARRISBURG PA – Home owners who plan to upgrade major appliances in their residences – items like water heaters or furnaces – may want to hold off on those purchases, if they can, until this April.

That’s when, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Pennsylvania will begin a new type of Cash For Clunkers program using federal economic stimulus funding. It intends to “implement a rebate program to help (property owners) replace older, inefficient appliances with new, non-electric federal Energy Star-qualified and ultra-efficient appliances,” according to the DOE’s Energy Savers website.

Eligible products include gas storage water heaters, gas tank-less water heaters, oil furnaces, gas furnaces, oil boilers, and gas boilers. The program encourages recycling the appliances to be replaced.

The state Department of Environmental Protection will be responsible for the program, which will receive $11.94 million in stimulus funds and is tentatively scheduled to begin in April, the DOE website reports. Property owners “may be able to reserve rebates once the program begins; the program will end when funds are depleted,” it added.

Photo by iboy daniel at Flickr

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