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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Arkansas Appliance Rebates

For more information, download the Arkansas state appliance program fact sheet PDF.
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Spotlight on Arkansas - See Our Program Impact.

THIS PROGRAM IS CLOSED. AS OF DECEMBER 3, 2010, ALL OF ARKANSAS' REBATE FUNDS HAVE BEEN RESERVED.

The State of Arkansas implemented a mail-in rebate program to help residents replace older, inefficient appliances with ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances. The program began March 15, 2010 and ended on December 3, 2010; however, Arkansas will continue to process rebates until funds are exhausted.

Eligible products included

  • Refrigerators
  • Clothes washers
  • Gas storage water heaters
  • Gas tankless water heaters
  • Electric heat pump water heaters

Rebate claims must be made within 30 days of purchase. Consumers must provide proof that a "participating" retailer or contractor removed the old unit. "Participating" retailers and contractors must agree to permanently dispose of the old appliances.

NOTE: For questions about your rebate such as status, timeline, and rebate amount, please contact your state's program directly through their Web site.

Contact: Arkansas Energy Office

Total Funding: $2,740,000

Program information subject to change. Rebates may be offered for a limited time only. Before purchasing a product, check with your program sponsor to ensure rebates are available, and to confirm product eligibility and program requirements. Products purchased must meet efficiency criteria as established by the state.

Program Impact:
Arkansas Rebate Program Prompts Early Appliance Replacement

Clothes washers are the number one selling appliance in the Arkansas rebate program.

Clothes washers are the number one selling appliance in the Arkansas rebate program, with some 7,000 rebated to date.

Arkansas' Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program is an example of how to make a good program even better.

Since the program's launch in March, 2010, rebate requests were moving pretty much as expected, according to Mitchell Simpson of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. "We received about 400 rebate applications per week, which translated into committing about $100,000 per week," Simpson explained. "Then DOE encouraged us to move more quickly. After we increased the rebate amounts, we were up to an average of $150,000 per week."

Arkansas originally offered $125 rebates on selected ENERGY STAR® labeled refrigerators, $175 for ENERGY STAR labeled clothes washers, and $200 for ENERGY STAR labeled water heaters. After three months, the state boosted rebates to $275 for refrigerators, $225 for clothes washers, and $300 for water heaters.

"The increased rebates gave the program a kick in the pants," Simpson said. "Our original rebates were reasonable. But we needed to be more aggressive to motivate consumers to make early replacement. Plus, increasing the rebate amounts would allow more Arkansans to participate in the program. We immediately saw an uptick in rebate requests."

Simpson said his team was surprised that the number-one seller has been clothes washers, with some 7,000 rebates sent out so far. "We thought refrigerators would be the biggest seller." They come in second with 4,000 rebates issued so far. Water heaters trail, as anticipated, with more than 100 rebates.

"The rebates make clothes washers one of the easiest appliances to replace: $225 is a significant savings" representing about a third of the average cost of an ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer, Simpson explained. "They are a good place to save both water and electricity."

Arkansas' success has been achieved with very little administrative cost. There were no splashy press conferences, just limited advertising, according to Simpson. Local press announced the program early on and retailers cited the program in their advertising, but Arkansas developed no collateral materials. "Our program's administrative costs were under $125,000, among the lowest of all states," boasts Simpson. "We were able to put together a pretty good program and get as many dollars as possible in consumers' hands."

Once the new rebate amounts went into effect, the program quickly gained momentum, and funds were nearly exhausted within a month. Those who had already received rebates received a check for the difference in amounts. The state then developed a follow-on program to continue the appliance rebates using its energy efficient community block grant funds.

The program closed mid-August to new rebate applications, but rebates are still being processed. "It's a testament to the need and interest in Arkansas for updating to efficient appliances," Simpson said.

State contact: Mitchell Simpson, 501-682-1060
DOE contact: Lani MacRae, 202-586-9193
Visit: energysavers.gov/rebates and AR.state-rebate.com