A portion of South Carolina’s Appliance Rebate Program has been exhausted just one day after it launched.

Rebates for ENERGY STAR labeled central air conditioning units, heat pumps, gas furnaces and water heaters in the South Carolina Appliance Rebate program were all claimed by  1:19 p.m. April 1, 2010.

Ample funds are still available in rebates for smaller appliance items, such as clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators and room air conditioning units, but consumers should act fast as these are not expected to last very long. For appliances bought in a store, the rebate will be applied instantly when the customer goes to the register. 

There was huge demand for larger units which are installed by contracts. The program began at 7 a.m. March 31, and all rebates were all accounted for within 30 hours and 19 minutes. Installers of these whole-house appliances reserved rebates online and then provided customers with mail-in forms.

For frequent updates on the status of funds remaining in this program, please visit www.appliancerebates.sc.gov. Updates are also regularly posted to www.twitter.com/SCEnergyOffice.