Buy Energy Star Products Tax-Free This Weekend

This weekend is Shop Maryland Energy weekend, when shoppers may purchase select Energy Star products in Maryland and not have to pay any taxes on their purchases.

The savings start at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, and end on Monday, Feb. 18, at 11:59 p.m., according to a statement from Comptroller Peter Franchot's office. Marylanders will not pay the 6 percent state sales tax on qualifying Energy Star product purchases. 

This tax-free weekend on select Energy Star products results from legislation passed in the 2007 special session of the Maryland General Assembly and is scheduled for the Saturday immediately preceding the third Monday in February through the third Monday of February. This annual tax holiday occurs in perpetuity until the legislature decides to revisit the issue.

“I have been throughout the state this month promoting this annual tax-free holiday,” Franchot said. “I am proud that Maryland offers this program which allows consumers who purchase Energy Star products to save money on the initial purchase and future energy bills, while simultaneously benefiting Maryland retailers with a boost in sales.”

During Shop Maryland Energy weekend, air conditioners, clothes washers, furnaces, heat pumps, standard size refrigerators, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats that have been designated as meeting or exceeding the applicable Energy Star efficiency requirements developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy will be tax-free, according to Franchot's office's statement.