The focus of Black Friday shopping tends to be for items such as large-screen TVs and new video game consoles. But this year, consider taking advantage of rebates for purchases that make your home more energy efficient and comfortable.
Tucson Electric Power offers residential customers ways to save energy and money through energy efficiency programs. Big-ticket items come with savings in the form of instant rebates on qualifying air conditioners, heat pumps and duct system sealing through participating contractors.
Under TEP’s Efficient Home Program, customers can receive incentives of up to $850 for replacing old, inefficient equipment with new, high-efficiency ENERGY STAR® units, or repairing duct systems, keeping their homes more comfortable and saving additional money over time.
All incentives are issued as credit on the invoice by a program-participating contractor, requiring no additional paperwork or waiting, said Mike Baruch, TEP’s Residential Energy Efficiency Program Manager.
Air conditioners and heat pumps use a lot of energy in the home, and much like a car, the performance degrades over time, especially without proper maintenance. An energy screening by a qualified contractor can identify unseen problems and put you on the road to an optimized home system.
The rebates begin at $150 for equipment downsizing with qualifying air conditioners or heat pumps. Duct sealing can result in rebates from $250 to $450.
TEP customers with in-ground swimming pools can receive rebates for upgrading to high-efficiency variable-speed pool pumps. Under the program, TEP customers receive a $120 instant rebate, offered at the point of purchase with participating pool partners.
TEP’s longstanding energy-efficient lighting program expanded in 2015. In a partnership with manufacturers, TEP now sells Light-Emitting Diode bulbs as well as Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs at a steep discount through local retailers. LED and CFL bulbs both provide energy savings over traditional incandescent bulbs.
TEP customers also can save on their energy bills and help beautify their neighborhoods by planting low-cost shade trees around their homes.
Customers can purchase the shade trees at a discounted rate through the popular Trees for Tucson program offered by TEP and Tucson Clean & Beautiful. Customers are eligible to purchase up to three trees per year for the discounted price of $8 per tree, a more than a 50 percent discount over typical nursery prices.
Visit www.treesfortucson.org for more information.
For more information on TEP’s energy efficiency programs, visit: www.tep.com/efficiency.
