A reminder: October not only is National Kitchen and Bath Month, it is when the Department of Energy’s stimulus-funded Cash for Appliances program is scheduled to kick off.

这项耗资3亿美元的倡议, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, allows each state that doesn’t already have a similar rebate program to write its own cash-for-appliances rebate rules, submit them for approval to the Department of Energy, and begin issuing rebate checks as early as November.

电器现金计划类似于30亿美元现金的笨拙计划，因为它旨在使消费者的激励措施用更节能的产品代替旧产品。笨拙的现金在消费者分配之前在消费者中非常受欢迎，其目标是严重生病的汽车行业。当然，电器现金解决了更广泛的产品中的消费者兴趣，并且与其他刺激计划一样，旨在通过鼓励房主升级其冰箱，洗碗机，炉子，空调和其他电器来促进整体经济。消费者无需交易旧设备以利用该计划。

国家厨房与浴室协会发布新闻稿earlier this month to emphasize that the new rebate program is in addition to a number of U.S. tax credits, up to $1,500 total per home, on the purchase price of energy efficient HVAC equipment, windows, insulation, and other products.

Incentives north of the border

In Canada, meanwhile, the Canada Revenue Agency has introduced a new房屋翻新税收抵免, which applies to eligible renovations made to a homeowner’s primary residence. The program, which expires February 1, 2010, offers a 15% tax credit on home remodeling expenses exceeding $1,000, with a maximum credit of $1,350.

HRTC补充了加拿大现有的Ecoenergy改造房屋grant offered through Natural Resources Canada, the agency charged with ensuring that the country’s natural resources are developed responsibly. The grant provides up to $5,000 to homeowners who make renovations to their homes that reduce energy consumption.

The size of Cash for Appliances rebates will depend on state guidelines and the cost of the Energy Star-rated product. Based on payouts being made by existing state-run rebate programs (about 25 states already have them), theAssociation of Home Appliance Manufacturersestimates that rebates will range from $50 to $200.