Now's a good time to buy/convince your landlord to buy new appliances

We at Brokelyn appreciate government handouts wherever we can find them. We also hate high energy bills from our old, crappy home appliances. That’s why we’re so excited that coming this month is a rebate program through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority that gives you $350 off qualifying refrigerators and $250 off qualifying washing machines. Eligible low-end fridges start around $650, washers at $450, which means you could be getting more than 50 percent off! Whatta deal! For those of us (probably most Brokelyn readers) who rent our apartments, it’s a good idea to check your lease to see who is responsible for the cost/replacement of these appliances in your apartment. So if you’re in need of one, you might want to tell your landlord of this deal, which might actually motivate them to take care of something right away before the offer expires.

To qualify, the appliances must be Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) Tier 2 and Tier 3 rated appliances. That means they must meet even tougher energy efficiency standards than ENERGY STAR appliances. One more thing to be smug about!

The catch is that there are a limited number of rebates, and only appliances purchased after the applications are released on March 19 will qualify. Last year, the rebates were all claimed in a matter of hours, so don’t spend too much time at P.C. Richard’s trying to fit yourselves inside the industrial freezers (they’re not even eligible!) before the deal is gone.

Follow Rachel: @RachelEveStein.