Utilities subsidize efficient appliances

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When Colleen McQueen went shopping for a new washing machine last year, she had heard from her sister-in-law how front-loading models use less water and electricity and even clean clothes better.

But when the Capitol Hill resident arrived at the appliance store, she found out front-loaders cost more than most top-loaders, and she wondered whether she could afford one. A salesman then told her about $50 rebates from Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light.

"One hundred dollars off certainly made it a lot easier to swallow," she said.

One year later, McQueen has lower water and electricity bills than she would have, and knows she is doing her part to conserve water and energy.

"If we all did stuff like this, it would all add up," she said.

McQueen is one of thousands of Puget Sound-region residents who have benefited from utilities' rebate programs that encourage purchases of the conservation-friendly machines. Rising utility bills and warnings about water and electricity shortages have dramatically increased participation in the program, which began in 1997.

Seattle Public Utilities, which supplies water to 1.3 million people in Seattle and surrounding suburbs, has had a 30 percent increase in rebate requests in the first five months of 2001 over the same period last year, said David Broustis, manager of the residential-water-conservation program. More than 3,000 customers have applied for rebates this year, he said.

Although prices of front-loading machines have been falling, they still cost more than top-loaders. At Albert Lee Appliance in Seattle's Interbay area, top-loaders start at $300, while the cheapest front-loader costs $650 before the rebate.

Store co-owner Albert Lee Jr. said the rebate and reduction in electricity and water bills mean consumers can recoup the extra cost of a front-loader in a few months.

Front-loading machines use on average 60 percent less electricity and 40 percent less water than top-loading models, according to the utilities. For the average residential customer, that means an annual savings of $70 to $100 in electricity and water bills.

The machines save money for the utilities, too.

It is much cheaper for City Light to chip in its $50 share of the rebate than to buy energy off the expensive open market, and water conservation helps Seattle Public Utilities defer costly water-supply projects such as new wells.

Seattle Public Utilities and the 25 suburban utilities to which it supplies water offer a $50 rebate. City Light and the city of Kent also give out $50.

Consumers can pick up rebate forms where they buy their machines.

Puget Sound Energy, which supplies electricity to 923,000 residents from Whatcom County to Thurston County, has a $50-per-machine rebate program only for owners of laundries or multifamily units, spokeswoman Dorothy Bracken said.

Sales of the machines have skyrocketed over the past few years. When the rebate program began, 0.5 percent of washing machines sold in the Seattle area were front-loaders; they now make up almost a quarter of washing-machine sales, said Rich Gustav, resource conservation manager for Seattle Public Utilities.

Three energy-efficient top-loading models also are covered by the utilities' rebate, although those machines are not big sellers. In addition to its washing-machine rebate, City Light offers a $30 rebate for buyers of energy-efficient electric water heaters, and Seattle Public Utilities this month is planning to announce a rebate program for water-efficient toilets, spokeswoman Sheila Strehle said.

David Olson can be reached at 206- 464-2717 or dolson@seattletimes.com.