The final 11 states and territories have closed their cash for appliance rebate programs, officially ending the program across the country. As of December 31, the two-year-old program had paid 1.7 million consumers rebates valued at $258 million and has been hailed as a “huge success” by the Department of Energy.

Started at the end of 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program provided $300 million in funding to 56 states and territories, roughly one dollar for every resident. The intent was to help consumers replace their old appliances with Energy Star qualified units. The DOE estimates that the program has resulted in 1.7 trillion Btus (British thermal units) in energy savings.

Most of the rebates, 88 percent, were redeemed for appliances with 10 percent going for purchases of heating and air conditioning equipment and two percent for water heaters. Rebates in the appliance category were given for refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and freezers, in that order.

In wrapping up the program, the DOE offered these answers to consumers questions:
What do I do if I still haven't received my rebate? Go to the Energy Savers website and find information for your state so you can contact that program directly.
Is it too late to apply for a rebate, even if I saved my receipt from last year? Yes—now that the program has officially closed, no more rebates are available in any state or territory.
Will the appliance rebate program come back in the future? Now that the funds have been distributed, the program is not expected to begin again.
Are there any other rebate or tax credit programs for energy efficiency that I can take advantage of? Maybe. Search the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency for incentives in your state or territory.

Also, it’s not too late to take advantage of federal tax credits for efficient and renewable energy systems including geothermal heat pumps, solar and wind energy systems, and fuel cells. Those end in 2016.