Dive Brief:
- Consumers Energy announced that since 2009, the company helped Michigan residents recycle more than 100,000 refrigerators and freezers.
- The utility company pays $50 for each appliance collected, and said that consumers could save $150 on electricity bills annually when replacing an outdated model with a new appliance.
- Refrigerators that are over 15 years old could be using as much as four times the energy to operate compared to a more efficient, contemporary model.
Dive Insight:
Consumers Energy offers customers the convenience of scheduling the removal of an old appliance free of charge.The company said that consumers have saved a total of $575 million in the past five years just by replacing obsolete appliances. The 100,000 units collected helped reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the air by 700,000 tons.
Power companies in many areas are joining Consumers Energy in establishing incentive programs to encourage appliance recycling, like this program launched last week by Appalachian Power.