A federal energy efficiency program introduced in the fall of 2009. Commonly referred to as cash for refrigerators, in reference to the cash for clunkers program that operated during the summer of 2009, the program offers U.S. customers a rebate of up to $200 when buying a new, energy efficient home appliance. The cash for refrigerators program was introduced on the heels of the controversial cash for clunkers subsidy which saw over 690,000 new vehicles purchased over the course of the program, totaling over $2.9 billion. The United States Congress set aside $300 million for the appliance energy efficiency program.