Through Peco Smart Appliance Recycling, Peco will pick up and recycle older, working refrigerators and freezers for free and pay customers $35. Also, while there, Peco will pick up older working window air conditioners and pay customers $25. In addition to the immediate savings, customers are expected to save about $150 each year on their energy bills.
Peco Smart Appliance Recycling is part of its Smart Ideas, a suite of programs to help customer save energy and money. The programs are part of the company’s support of Pennsylvania’s energy efficiency and demand response targets – Act 129, which requires all state electric utilities to develop programs to help customers reduce energy use by 1% by May 31, 2011 and 3% by May 31, 2013.
Utilities also must reduce energy demand during the 100 highest-use hours of the year by 4.5% by May 31, 2013. The programs cost residential customers about $1.5 additional on their monthly energy bills.
Romulo Diaz, junior vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs at Peco, said: “Peco is proud to be part of this historic effort to help customers save money and energy. The Peco Smart Appliance Recycling program is just one part of our full suite of programs to help customers understand how they use energy, save energy and, most importantly, save money.”
Refrigerators and freezers made before 1990 use three times more electricity than newer appliances. About 95% of each unit is environmentally recycled by Jaco, including metals, plastic, oils and the foam insulation, the company said.
Michael Dunham, director of energy and environmental programs at Jaco, said: “Old refrigerators contain substances such as mercury, oil and ozone-eating CFCs. As a result, they pose a significant threat to the environment when improperly discarded. This new program helps save energy and the planet.”
