Sears Helps Alaska Residents With Disabilities Access up to $500 in Rebates on ENERGY STAR庐-Qualified Appliances
Sears Blue Appliance Crew Also Enhances Sears.com/energystar Web Site
The Sears Blue Appliance Crew鈩� is helping Alaska residents with disabilities access the $658,000 in rebates available for ENERGY STAR庐-qualified appliances from March 16 until funds are depleted, as part of the "Cash for Appliances" rebate program. As the 2010 ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year, Sears has created online tools, including an interactive map and energy savings rebate calculator at Sears.com/energystar, which will help Alaska residents manage the rebate process and find all the stimulus rebates they qualify for under the state's program guidelines. The Sears site will also display all ENERGY STAR products that qualify for rebates so customers can quickly and easily identify models that are available for in-store purchase.
"At Sears, we're always looking for ways to make it easier and more affordable for Americans to swap out their old, inefficient appliances for new, ENERGY STAR models," said Doug Moore, president of Home Appliances for Sears. "This rebate money will go quickly, so we encourage our customers in Alaska to take advantage of the stimulus plan as early as possible to ensure access to the state funds."
Under the U.S. Department of Energy-approved appliance rebate plan for Alaska, the state program is limited to Alaskans who currently receive some form of disability payment from the state or federal government. Furthermore, participants in Alaska are encouraged to recycle their old appliances and will need to self-certify that the old appliance is being replaced and will be disposed of in accordance with local, state and federal requirements.
Alaska residents with disabilities purchasing ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances as part of the "Cash for Appliances" program are eligible for rebates from $150 to $500(I), with a maximum of one product per customer. Rebates vary and may be higher in some rural areas due to shipping costs. (According to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, which is managing the program, a rural community is defined as one not served by road or the Alaska Marine Highway at least once per week). Qualified applicants will receive a voucher from the State of Alaska to take advantage of the following rebates:
-- $150 - $300 for clothes washers -- $150 - $300 for dishwashers -- $300 - $500 for refrigerators -- $300 - $500 for freezers
"Sears is proud to be the only retailer in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program, continuing our commitment to improving the environment through responsible appliance disposal," Moore said. "Not only are we helping the environment by reducing emissions of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases, but we are also making it easier for customers, like those in Alaska, to dispose of their old appliances responsibly."
Through the RAD(II) program, the Sears Home Delivery Haul Away Service provides removal of one old, inefficient appliance for each new appliance purchased and delivered. Once the old appliance is removed, Sears and its partners ensure that the disposal process takes place in an environmentally friendly manner to avoid the discarding of appliances in landfills. Many of the components of the old appliance are then recycled.
For qualifying Alaska residents interested in purchasing energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances the Sears Blue Appliance Crew will assist shoppers from start to finish. They can:
-- Provide information about which appliances qualify for state rebates
in store and online at Sears.com/energystar
-- Help shoppers find rebates - searching by product category and
customer's zip code
-- Remove customers' old appliances and dispose of them in a responsible
manner through the Sears RAD program
For full rebate updates and details, and to learn more about Sears' online and in-store Appliance Research Centers, please visit Sears.com/energystar.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY STAR庐 Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck Web site at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation Web site at www.searsholdings.com.
About Sears Home Appliances
Sears is the nation's leading appliance retailer with the largest selection - over 4400 models. Only Sears sells the top 10 brands, including Kenmore, the nation's leading appliance brand. Sears always beats the competition's price, guaranteed, up to 30 days. Sears offers worry-free 1-year service, guaranteed and free help and support on all brands serviced by Sears 24/7 by phone. Sears provides next day delivery on over 1600 models - that's five times more than any national competitor. In March 2009, Sears launched the online ENERGY STAR Rebate Center - a program to help educate Americans about the millions of dollars in rebates that are available for ENERGY STAR-rated products and make it faster to receive these rebates. Sears has demonstrated its commitment to increasing America's energy efficiency through its actions over more than 10 years.
Sears sells more ENERGY STAR-rated appliances than any other retailer. In fact, in 2008, Sears was the first retailer to sell more than 3.1 million ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances from the nation's top brands, including Kenmore, the nation's leading appliance brand. In 2008 alone, Kenmore ENERGY STAR-rated appliances helped save America nearly 700 million Kilowatt hours, over four billion gallons of water, and over $100 million dollars.
(I) Program details subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.Sears.com/EnergyStar.
(II) The Sears Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program applies to Sears full line stores.
First Call Analyst: Westenberger, Richard
FCMN Contact:
SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.
CONTACT: Larry Costello of Sears Holdings Public Relations,
+1-847-286-9036 or +1-847-346-4514, Larry.Costello@searshc.com; or Jody Sunna
of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, +1-212-367-6831 or +1-646-409-3782,
Jody.Sunna@eurorscg.com, for Sears, Roebuck and Co.
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