Most who used rebates make $40K to $60K

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

A newspaper finds that nearly half the households taking advantage of a state appliance rebate program are in areas with median incomes of $40,000-$60,000 a year.

The Columbus Dispatch tracked the ZIP codes of rebate redeemers and also found the percentages of takers were in only the low single digits in neighborhoods where the median income is below $30,000 or more than $90,000.

Last month, the state began using federal stimulus money to offer rebates of up to $250 on several categories of new, energy- efficient appliances.

Experts say even with the rebates, a new appliance is still out of reach for poorer Ohioans, while high-income residents probably don’t want to bother with the paperwork.

More than half the nearly 90,000 available rebates have been used.

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