On April 19, the Governor’s Energy Office will announce the details of its 2010 energy rebate program for weatherizing, purchasing major household appliances and installing solar and wind systems at home.Mountain View Electric Association will participate in the GEO program by providing $100,000 to fund rebates for the installation of residential solar photovoltaic and wind systems by MVEA members, said Ray Singmaster, who handles the MVEA energy rebate program.The MVEA dollars will be matched by another $100,000 in stimulus money from the GEO, set aside from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Singmaster said.Reservations for an MVEA rebate for a residential solar or wind system or any other GEO rebate must be made at Recharge Colorado, a new Web site the GEO will launch April 19, he said.This makes the 2010 application procedure different from MVEA’s 2009 rebate program, in which MVEA members applied directly to MVEA.By coordinating MVEA’s rebate with the GEO, there will be a single Web site where MVEA members can reserve MVEA rebates as well as statewide rebates not offered by MVEA.The site also will allow them to reserve a GEO rebate on a solar or wind system should MVEA’s rebate fund be exhausted this year, he said.Last year, MVEA’s rebates for solar and wind systems went fast. Like last year, rebates will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, Singmaster said.Before applying for a rebate on a renewable energy system, such as solar hot water, solar photovoltaic or wind systems, the applicant must have had an energy audit conducted after Dec. 31, 2006, said Todd Hartman, GEO media relations manager.”Audits conducted after April 19, 2010, must be performed by a Building Performance Institute or Residential Energy Services Network certified auditor,” Hartman said, adding that rebates are available for home energy audits conducted after April 19.It’s important to note that the new rebate program is not retroactive.”Products purchased and installed before the GEO launches the program will be ineligible for rebates,” he said.Hartman said the actual amount of a rebate on a solar photovoltaic or wind system will be calculated based on the number of watts the system generates. The details are still being worked out and should be available by the beginning of April. He provided these estimates:Solar photovoltaic ñ 20 to 30 percent of the system’s costSolar domestic hot water ñ 30 percent of the system’s costSmall residential wind up to 10 kW ñ 30 percent of the system’s costSmall commercial wind ñ 15 to 20 percent of the system’s costIn addition to offering rebates on the installation of residential solar and wind systems, the 2010 GEO energy program will offer rebates to improve the energy efficiency of houses, including these:Insulation and air sealing ñ 20 percent of cost up to $400Duct sealing ñ 20 percent of cost up to $75Whole-house energy audit ñ tiered from $25 to $100 depending on the cost of the auditWhole-house energy monitor – $50The 2010 GEO energy program will also include rebates on the purchase of Energy Star refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dishwashers.For some appliances, the GEO program overlaps the MVEA’s Energy Efficiency Credit Program, which is funded equally by MVEA and its electricity provider, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Inc.Although the MVEA and GEO appliance rebate programs are funded separately, they’re coordinated so both rebates can’t be claimed for a single purchase.Currently, the GEO rebate is less than the MVEA rebate in every category. If a GEO rebate ever exceeds an MVEA rebate, the GEO will rebate the difference, Singmaster said.Rebate comparison1
| Energy Star appliance | MVEA/Tri-State | GEO |
| Clothes washer | $80 | $75 |
| Dishwasher | $60 | $50 |
| Refrigerator with proof of recycling | $160 | $1002 |
| Refrigerator without proof of recycling | $80 | $502 |
| Freezer | $80 | N/A |
| Furnace, gas condensing, efficiency of 92 percent or greater | N/A | $500 |
| Hot water heater, gas condensing/high performance | N/A | $200 |
| Hot water heater, tankless | N/A | $300 |
