From the President and CEO's Desk: By Doug Tracy

One of my favorite things about summer is the opportunity for fresh, homegrown food, whether it’s shopping at the local farmers’ market or sharing the abundance of garden tomatoes with a neighbor. It’s amazing how just a few seeds, some fertilizer, and water can turn into a bounty.

When I think about energy efficiency, I think about that bounty of food, and how with a few simple actions, you can use less electricity and reap the rewards of energy savings. You don’t need to be a farmer or botanist to know that plants need water –– just like you don’t have to be a lineworker or engineer to know that adjusting the thermostat or turning off lights can reduce your monthly electric bill.

If you read CREC’s publications regularly and follow us on social media, you know there are a lot of things you can do at home to save electricity and money. Summer months bring some of the highest energy bills of the year. Why? Because cooling your home accounts for a large portion of your monthly energy use. The hotter it gets, the harder (and longer) your air conditioner works to keep you cool.

I’d like to share a few ways we’re here to help you save –– not only during the dog days of summer but throughout the year.

One of the great things about being part of CREC is that we’re locally owned by you, our members. So instead of making profits, we can focus on helping our communities. That’s why we offer these programs and ideas to help you keep your money in your wallet.

• Rebates — CREC offers ways to give you money back for efficient equipment you purchase, like heat pumps and water heaters. Many of our rebates can be claimed by simply filling out a form. Find a list of all our rebates at cuivre.com/rebates.

• Monitor your energy use — Use the MyCuivre app or log into your account through our member portal to track your energy use. You can even get alerts when your use spikes so you can make changes.

• Ways to pay — If you’re having a difficult time paying the higher bills that come with increased use in the summer, learn more about budget billing or our prepay program, My Power, at cuivre.com/paymentoptions.

• Check out Take Control and Save® — Our generation cooperative, AECI, offers many tips and energy-saving advice on their Members 1st website at https://membersfirst.coop/energy-efficiency.

Most people don’t know everything about electricity, and that’s why we’re here to help you, our neighbors. We can work with you