Recognizing the need for rapid industry deployment to effectively compete with appliance retailers, Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) will release exclusively to HARDI member companies access to a new Webpage providing the only HVACR-specific resource and listing of each U.S. state's Energy Star appliance rebate program. Funded by a $300 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) appropriation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program (SEEARP) provides population-weighted dollars to each U.S. state and territory to establish state-wide rebate programs on Energy Star or greater retail white goods and professionally installed appliances. Almost half of all U.S. states have included HVACR products in their SEEARPs, with 15 states still awaiting DOE approval of their plans, and most states intend to run their programs on a first-come, first-served basis.
This special HARDI-member SEEARP page will enable HARDI distributors to quickly understand their states' SEEARPs and educate their contractor customers by providing the latest news and updates on any state SEEARP, lists of states with approved SEEARPs including HVACR products, states with approved SEEARPs without HVACR products, and states that have not released any information about their plans. The site also provides a spreadsheet updated weekly with start and stop dates for each state's program, summaries of the HVACR products and their rebate amounts, and contacts for more information. It is essential for the HVACR industry to be prepared to mobilize quickly before appliance retailers exhaust the rebate dollars on clothes washers, refrigerators, and in several cases, window air conditioners. HARDI will provide access to this new member-only resource to distributor members.
HARDI represents more than 400 wholesale companies, more than 300 manufacturing associates and nearly 140 manufacturer representatives. HARDI members represent an estimated 85 percent of the dollar value of HVACR products sold through distribution.