Turn in beer refrigerators to Consumers Energy for cash next year

Did you empty your old refrigerator during Welcome Weekend?

Consumers Energy is starting a new program to recycle “beer fridges.” Although they are not currently picking up refrigerators in Mount Pleasant, they will start by early next year.

Customers can find information on the Web site consumersenergy.com and will be contacted once the pickup starts locally, said Terri Mierzwa, Consumers Energy manager of marketing, energy efficiency and research.

The company is making it possible for customers to save money on energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.

An extra fridge can cost up to $170 in energy bills annually, and 95 percent of the refrigerator’s parts are recyclable, Mierzwa said.

“That’s an energy hog just sitting there,” he said.

Public Act 295, approved into law last October, requires energy utilities to meet energy reduction requirements, Mierzwa said.

Customers can recycle their old refrigerators and receive a $30 rebate, Mierzwa said. Consumers Energy has taken about 500 calls since the program’s launch in late July and has picked up about 250 fridges. The refrigerator must work to be accepted.

It ‘just makes sense’

Consumers Energy has paired with retailers so customers of the electric company also can receive cheaper compact fluorescent bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy and can last up to 10,000 hours, Mierzwa said.

The light bulb’s price will be discounted at participating retailers in Consumer Energy’s electric service territories.

“We think energy efficiency just makes sense,” Mierzwa said.

Participating retailers are Meijer, Home Depot, ACO Hardware, CostCo and Menards, and the discount program will be in place until the end of this year. Mierzwa said Consumers Energy is not sure what will happen to the discount program in 2010.

Phi Kappa Tau president and Midland senior Chris Dutot said the extra refrigerator in their house makes sense because of the number of people who live there. But he said he would be interested in compact fluorescent light bulbs.

“The long-term investment would be worth it if the light bulbs use less (energy) and last longer,” he said. “It would be worth it in the end.”

Consumers Energy also offers incentives for purchasing energy efficient appliances such as washers and dryers, Mierzwa said. The company works with apartment owners who would like to make their rentals more efficient, he said.

“It’s a great time if someone’s in the market for high efficiency,” he said.

For more information on energy savings programs, visit consumersenergy.com.

“We have full information there on (all) programs,” Mierzwa said.

The programs are funded by a customer surcharge for electric and natural gas services. The surcharge is 72 cents a month for electric services and $1.70 a month for natural gas services, Mierzwa said.