DENVER -- Colorado's Cash for Appliances program that offers savings on refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers and furnaces won't start this month as previously expected.

The Governor's Energy Office announced Wednesday that the rebate Web site for Cash for Appliances won't be ready until April 19, instead of March 31, reported KMGH-TV in Denver.

A GEO news release explained the delay.

"A statewide program of this magnitude, affecting millions of Coloradans including your homes and businesses, requires the vast coordination of resources from industries and organizations from every corner of the state. The GEO had optimistically hoped to launch March 31, but felt it prudent to take the additional time necessary to ensure their programs were as comprehensive as possible to deliver the optimum engagement and benefit for all Coloradans," according to the news release.

"There are all kinds of programs already in place, offered by different entities already in the state, so we're trying to give customers a one-stop shop," GEO spokesperson Todd Hartman told KMGH. "The precise step-by-step will be posted on our Web site in the next couple of weeks. It's a challenging undertaking process. The worst thing we could do is to roll something out when it's not ready or when it's not clear it's going to work. A better course of action is to wait a little longer and make sure the consumer experience would be positive."

When asked if the April 19 date could also be delayed, Hartman said he was confident of the new launch date.

Once the program is active, Colorado residents will be able to enter their contact information and what they bought in a statewide database. Rebate forms will then have to be mailed in with the appropriate documents for that purchase.

According to the GEO, 75,000 rebates would save Coloradans about $22 million.

At least a dozen states have already started Cash for Appliances rebate programs. Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota are already done with the rebate program.

All appliances must be Energy Star rated to qualify. In some cases requirements beyond Energy Star ratings apply. The GEO encourages consumers to review the rebate materials before making purchases because not all products are eligible.

The GEO said that eligible appliances will receive the following rebates:

• Clothes washers -- $75
• Dishwashers -- $50
• Refrigerators -- $100 w/ proof of recycling, $50 w/out proof of recycling
• Furnaces -- gas condensing $500
• Hot water heater -- gas condensing/high performance $200
• Hot water heater -- gas tankless $300
• Gas boilers -- $400

Other requirements also apply. For instance, refrigerators must be at least 12 cubic feet in size to qualify and furnaces must be rated at an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) greater or equal to 92 percent. Additional minimum efficiency rating requirements for gas condensing/high performance water heaters will be available in coming weeks.

The state is also offering rebates for residential energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Residential energy efficiency rebates

• Insulation and air sealing -- 20 percent of cost up to $400 (will not exceed $600 if combined with an existing local utility rebate taken by the consumer)
• Duct sealing -- 20 percent of cost up to $75 (will not exceed $125 if combined with an existing local utility rebate)
• Whole-house energy audit -- tiered rebate of $25 to $100 depending on cost of audit
• Whole-house energy monitor -- $50 (will not exceed $100 if combined with an existing local utility rebate)

Renewable energy rebates Note: Rebates are based on system size, calculated per watt. So no hard dollar figure is provided here.

• Solar photovoltaic -- 20 to 30 percent. In some cases, rebates combined with local incentives will result in a 50 percent reduction in costs.
Xcel and Black Hills Energy customers are excluded due to existing residential photovoltaic rebates offered through those utilities.
• Solar domestic hot water -- 30 percent of the cost
• Solar thermal and/or hot water (commercial only -- no pools, spas or snowmelt) --approximately 30 percent of the cost of the system
• Small wind (residential) up to 10 kW -- approximately 30 percent of the cost of the system
• Small wind (commercial) -- approximately 15 to 20 percent of the cost of the system

The program is one of 56 State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Programs, popularly known as Cash for Appliances, that are being set up in the United States and six U.S. territories with the help of federal stimulus money.

Colorado received about $4.7 million of the nearly $300 million available nationwide for the program from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

For more information on the Cash for Appliances program, visit the Colorado Governor's Energy Office Web site.