Understanding Government

The Chicago Tribune’s Sandra M. Jones and Rob Hart have a piece today on a pretty innovative use of stimulus money — the Dept. of Energy providing Illinois $6.5 million to give consumer rebates on energy efficient appliances.  The DOE program gave $300 million total for consumer rebate programs across the country.

Today 670 stores across Illinois are offering a 15 percent discount on any energy efficient appliances. One practical issue is whether the appliance sale was promoted aggressively enough, but the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, contracted out to administer the program, seems to have gotten the word out. “Shoppers lined up early this morning,” Jones and Hart write, “and some small downstate independent dealers say they have sold a week’s worth of appliances in the first hour.”