Heard about those appliance rebates?

Consumer alert: Combining utility, manufacturer, store and state rebates when buying a single Energy Star appliance can save hundreds of dollars.

Really. You read that right.

That's the word state officials, retailers and utilities are trying to get out to the tight-fisted, recession-weary consumer, who apparently, for the most part, hasn't heard.

State officials especially have a motive in publicizing their rebate: They still have nearly $3 million in federal stimulus money left to offer, even though some of the savings - $50 rebates for refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners - are relatively small.

So far, only 1,688 consumers have cashed in on $142,100 worth of state rebates since late January, according to data provided through February by staff for Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Coop.

But the state has extended its deadline from April 30 to Sept. 30, so start doing some homework along with your shopping and you, too, can cash in.

Separately, the savings on individual rebates may not be huge, (with the exception of the $500 state rebate for central air conditioners or heat pumps), but they are available now, and even the smaller state rebates, combined with other discounts, can really add up.

At Morgan & White in Groton, for instance, a consumer can save more than $350 on a $999 Bosch front-loading washer. This particular rebate doesn't begin until Thursday, but here's a breakdown on the savings available:

• A $100 rebate from the state.

• A $50 rebate from the store.

• A $200 manufacturer's rebate if the purchase is paid on a Visa credit card.

• Even more savings from your local utility, if you first participate in a home energy audit.

"By the time we put our own rebates on, the public utilities do and the state has a rebate, it's almost to the point where we're paying people to take these machines," said Keith Burzycki, owner of Keith's Appliance in Norwich, after describing comparable deals. "It's a nice piece of change."

The purchase of energy-efficient appliances is also intended to lead toward reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower utility bills.

Are there caveats? Naturally.

The consumer must be replacing an inefficient appliance with a new, Energy Star-rated one.

The consumer must wait six to eight weeks for the state's rebate check.

The consumer is entitled to only one state rebate deal per appliance, but up to three for room air conditioners.

The savings from utilities may vary, depending on whether you have Connecticut Light & Power, United Illuminating or a municipal utility. Also, you have to participate in the home energy audit before buying the new appliance to qualify for the utilities' rebates.

There's another perk, however. Through Home Energy Solutions, the audit program for CL&P and UI, those two utilities will double their rebate if you act within 45 days of your audit, said Chris Ehlert, manager of residential energy services for UI, and Ray Wilson, the director of the energy office for the state Office of Policy & Management.

The audit costs $75.

Wilson speculated that consumers haven't participated in the state's energy-rebate program largely because of the continued shaky economy.

"People are still pretty skittish about spending money," Wilson said. "People aren't going to go out and buy something just because there's a rebate when they may not be secure about their job. Appliances are a major investment for most people. Rebates in and of themselves, while helpful, aren't the driving factor in most people's minds."

Burzycki confirmed that, noting, "It's pretty tough to come up with money for a lot of people now."

Marvin Weber, the owner of Morgan & White, pointed to another reason why consumers aren't heading in droves to their stores in search of state appliance rebates. Paying upfront and waiting for the rebates is at best annoying and at worst a hardship, Weber said.

Wilson also explained why dishwashers are not included in the state's rebate program, and why only $50 is set aside for refrigerators that can cost thousands of dollars. He was directly involved in researching and assigning values to the rebates for each appliance, based on information provided by federal government, he said.

Dishwashers and refrigerators on the market today are almost all Energy Star-rated, he said.

"A rebate is meant to provide an incentive to get the consumer to buy the next higher efficiency level, not to give them a reward for going out and buying what they were going to get anyway," Wilson said.

Weber and Burzycki estimated they've sold about 100 and 200 appliances respectively, but hope to sell many more.

While the state did not provide rebate figures for CL&P and UI numbers for March, CMEEC said their numbers doubled this month.

"So we anticipate the numbers will go up as it gets a little bit warmer outside and people start to think about air conditioners or spring remodeling," said Julie Cammarata, CMEEC's director of government and regulatory affairs.

One last detail: the millions of rebate dollars in federal stimulus funding available through the state are technically good through February of 2012, not just through Sept. 30, Wilson said - but that's only if the money doesn't run out.

p.daddona@theday.com