Dec. 11, 2001 – Emphasizing that alternative energy is an increasingly important way to reduce the nation's dependency on oil, the V.I. Energy Office has announced a new consumer rebate program that will remain in place through next July 31.
By purchasing the designated items at participating local retail outlets, here's what you can save in money, in addition to what you'll save in electric bills:
– Solar hot water heaters: $1,000 rebate for those with a capacity of 66-120 gallons; $700 for those of 40-65 gallons; $500 for those of 39 gallons or less.
– Photovoltaic solar panels: $5 rebate per watt, with a limit of 20.
– Wind turbine generators: rebate of 20 percent of retail cost.
– Trace inverters purchased in conjunction with solar panels or wind-turbine generators: rebate of 15 percent of retail cost.
– Energy-efficient lights, also called compact fluorescents: rebate of $10 per bulb with a coupon.
– Electric hot-water heater timers: rebate of $10 with a coupon.
To qualify for rebates, purchases must be made from approved dealers. Coupons are available from and are processed by the dealers when the items are purchased. The approved dealers are:
St. Croix — Fischer Industries (773-6598), Quality Electric (773-4630) and West Indies Solair (773-4790).
St. Thomas — Altona Trading and Sales (774-3373), Pools R Weeeeee (775-0884), Silent Power (774-5875), Supply Resources (775-7483), Virgin Energies (775-1266), and West Indies Windsurfing (775-6530).
The items eligible for federal energy rebates changes yearly. For this round, the focus is on renewable energy. For more information, call Sandra A. Petersen, Energy Office program coordinator, at 772-2616, ext. 259.
