FORT WAYNE, Ind., Oct 6, 2011 – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) and Sears® have joined forces to remove older, inefficient refrigerators and freezers off the grid and out of landfills. The announcement comes as Americans observe National Energy Awareness Month in October.
When buying a new refrigerator or freezer at Sears, an I&M customer living in Indiana can make arrangements to have their old appliance picked up, recycled, and then receive a check for $30 in the mail under I&M’s Appliance Recycling Program before leaving the store.
Sears is the only participating retailer at this time for the utility’s energy efficiency program.
“This partnership with Sears is another step that can help our customers reduce their overall energy use, save money, and protect the environment,” said Kimberly Reeder, I&M’s manager of energy efficiency and consumer programs.
Often, homeowners aren’t sure what to do with an old refrigerator or freezer once they decide to buy a new one. ENERGY STAR® reports that U.S. households have 44.5 million refrigerators and freezers over 10 years old, 12.7 million of which are secondary units, usually kept in garages or basements. Units manufactured prior to 1993 use more than twice the energy of a new ENERGY STAR ® qualified model. Left plugged in, each of those units costs homeowners about $150 a year.
After the Sears delivery team picks up an older appliance, it is turned over to JACO Environmental, where over 95% of the unit is recycled and the remainder is disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way that prevents the introduction of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant, oils, and trace amounts of other chemicals to landfills.
To qualify for the cash rebate, refrigerators or freezers must be between 10 – 30 cubic feet in size, clean, empty and in working order on the day of pickup. The customer must reside in Indiana and have an active account with Indiana Michigan Power. Customers are allowed to recycle a maximum of two appliances per year.
This is the second year that I&M has offered appliance recycling as part of its portfolio of energy efficiency programs known as SMART Programs – Saving Money And Resources Together®. About 2,600 refrigerators and freezers were recycled in the first year of the program, saving customers a combined total of $390,000 on energy bills. For more information about the Appliance Recycling Program and other energy efficiency programs offered by I&M, visit indianamichiganpower.com/save or contact the Indiana Michigan Power Customer Solutions Center at 1-800-311-4634.