We have great news to share that really hasn’t received a great deal of publicity.  We are sharing an FAQ that we found on the North Carolina Energy Office website.  For anyone considering updating their appliances, the details are listed below.  Even if you are not in the market to sell your home, replacing appliances can be a great decision.  It is wonderful to enjoy your new, more energy efficient appliances before you call us at LG Real Estate to list your home for sale.

GET THE FACTS:

When will the rebates be offered?   Phase I will be over a four-day period during Earth Day weekend – Thursday April 22 through Sunday April 25.

How much will the rebates be?  Rebates will be 15 percent off on Energy-Star rated appliances.  The rebates will be in addition to any store, manufacturer or other discounts being offered.

What appliances qualify?  Qualified Energy Star clothes washers, diswashers, refrigerators, and freezers.

Who is eligible to purchase items?  North Carolina residents who are replacing older clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers are eligible for the rebates on designated Energy Star appliances.  The program is only available to those replacing appliances.  Those purchasing multiple appliances or appliances for commercial properties are not eligible.

Where can I buy the appliances?  The NC Energy Office worked with the NC Retail Merchants Association and expects major retail chains as well as most independent appliance dealers to participate in the rebate program.  You can see the participating merchants at www.energync.net.

Can I receive more than one appliance rebate?  You may receive rebates on more than one appliance, but it must be for different appliances.  For example, you may receive rebates on a refrigerator and clothes washing machine, but not on two refrigerators.

Will there be rebates on any other energy star appliances?  Depending on the funds available, a second phase in June will offer rebates on Energy Star residential gas storage water heaters, tankless gas water heaters, central air conditioners, heat pumps and gas furnaces that replace older items.  These rebates will be mail-ins and can be used with purchase through retailers, contractors or programs offered through utilities.

Where is the money coming from to pay for the rebates?  North Carolina is receiving $8.8 million in federal funds to help homeowners purchase energy efficient appliances. 

See you shopping!

 It all Started with a Fruit Dryer

If I had only known 15 years ago when our youngest son Matt requested a fruit dryer for his 14^th birthday how that would change his life.  We had recently moved to the Cary area from CA.  Matt, the youngest of our four sons was the only one to make the move to the foreign country of NC. He came kicking and screaming which is very typical of any rising 8^th grader. 

The Food Channel, Cary High, and UCLA

While getting acclimated to his new life without a plethora of friends on his doorstep, Matt gained a real fondness for the TV Food Channel.  After learning to make beef jerky from his new contraption he started playing with recipes.  We never gave it a lot of thought until we heard about a Thanksgiving meal he fixed for his college roommates at UCLA.  By this time Matt had graduated from Cary High School in 1999 and went on to become an English major and Spanish minor at UCLA.  He was fortunate enough to spend a year at the University of Barcelona and during the summer he went to a culinary school in Spain. 

Eat This Not That!

Moving the clock forward several years Matt is now the co author of the “Eat This Not That” book series.  His real pride and joy is the latest book of the series “Cook This Not That”.  On Sunday April 18th,  Matt will be at the Cary location of Barnes and Noble to discuss his books.  The book signing and discussion will begin at 4pm.  On Wednesday, April 14th at 3am (the only weird time in the country) Matt will be on the Bonnie Hunt show along with David Zinczenko demonstrating several of the recipes. 

James Beard Food Writing Award

A few weeks ago Matt was nominated for the James Beard Food Writing Award.   This is a great honor and is considered the Oscar of food writing.  The nomination was for an article he did for Men’s Health Magazine called “Beauty and the Beast”.  He just arrived back to NYC from a trip to CA to work with Carl’s Jr/Hardees to help them devise a healthier menu.  There is an article about Matt in the April18th edition of the Cary News.

Proud Mom

As his Mom of course I beam with pride but taking that aside he is a wealth of information and if you meet him on Sunday you will be glad you did.