Lessons from Cash for Appliances

Scott Case writes a compelling article about why some state appliance rebate programs sold out quickly, while other states have millions of dollars leftover. He concludes that:

(1) Creating artificial scarcity by requiring applicants to pre-reserve the rebate leads to higher subscription rates;

(2) Offering rebates on both visible appliances like microwaves and stoves with behind-the-scenes appliances like water heaters and heating systems, increases demand for both, and;

(3) For those consumers who were already planning to upgrade their equipment, the program should only include the most efficient models for each appliance category.

As the federal government considers a similar national program, these lessons could improve the program and avoid the low adoption rates seen in Pennsylvania and Washington.

Green Building Incentives

The picture below provides a snapshot of green building incentives in different regions of the United States in 2008.  In general, coastal states tend to have the most comprehensive incentive programs.  

Click picture to enlarge:

Top 5 Countries with LEED APs

The LEED Accredited Professional (AP) certification is in high demand in North America.  But what about the rest of the world?  According to the database run by the Green Building Certification Institute, only 1% of LEED APs live outside of the US, Canada, and Mexico.  

Perhaps the better question is: why would anyone outside the US take this exam?

Maybe to satisfy demand.  In China, there are almost 150 registered or certified projects in more than a dozen cities.  And most of these projects are less than two years old. 

John Asalone

Key Skills:

• Clean-tech due dilligence

• Business case analysis 

• Portfolio modeling

• Corporate strategy

• Valuation and financial analysis

Industry Knowledge:

• Energy and environmental regulations

• Federal energy mandates

• Clean-tech investment and policy needs

• Green buildings

• Energy efficiency prioritization