Widespread misconceptions about energy use can increase utility bills and reduce comfort. Here are five energy myths that may be costing you. Myth: Setting the thermostat higher or lower will heat or cool a room faster.  Most furnaces and air conditioners work at the same speed, no matter what the thermostat setting. Unless you have… Continue reading.

When everybody’s using electricity during peak times, costs can go up. But with a Wi-Fi thermostat and a little help from our PowerShift Wi-Fi Thermostat Program, we make tiny temperature adjustments that save everyone money when electricity is most expensive. Get $50 just for signing up — and another $25 for each year you stay… Continue reading.

Your high-speed internet connection can hook you up with savings — on your heating and cooling costs. As more people gain access to broadband internet connections, they may consider upgrading to a Wi-Fi thermostat. Fortunately, your local electric cooperative offers a $45 rebate for qualifying Wi-Fi thermostat upgrades. And beyond the rebate, a Wi-Fi thermostat… Continue reading.

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are, in general, small-scale energy resources that provide electric capacity or energy close to where they are used. DERs are an evolving part of the utility landscape for consumers — and for Hoosier Energy, as well. In an effort to maximize the benefits of technologies such as battery storage, electric vehicle… Continue reading.

By B. Rosie Lerner Most gardeners would agree that tomatoes are the most popular crop for home growing. But what gardeners can’t agree on is what tomato is considered the best, since taste is such a personal matter. The diversity of cultivars available makes it easy for anyone to grow tomatoes even if all you… Continue reading.

If you’re looking for a dining experience with a hint of nostalgia, consider cruising to one of Indiana’s drive-in restaurants. Jesse G. Kirby is credited as the originator of the drive-in concept in the United States, and he founded Kirby’s Pig Stand in the early 1920s in Dallas, Texas. Over the next decade, the trend… Continue reading.

Electricity is an amazing addition to our lives. We couldn’t watch TV, turn on a lightbulb or check email on a computer without it. However, for all the wonderful things that electricity does for us, it can also be unforgiving — and even deadly. One thing to remember as you go about your daily activities:… Continue reading.

According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), thousands of people in the United States are critically injured or electrocuted as a result of electrical fires and accidents in their own homes every year. An average of 51,000 electrical home structure fires occur each year, claiming almost 500 lives, injuring more than 1,400 people and… Continue reading.

By Stephanie Groves Senior Editor Richard Biever is a rare talent and the lifeblood of Indiana Connection magazine. Here’s more about him, in his own wonderful words.   My role at Indiana Connection is to tell the stories of Indiana’s electric cooperatives and their consumers. As senior editor, I generally write and photograph most of… Continue reading.

By Jack Spaulding The United States’ national bird is the bald eagle; our national mammal is the American bison. It’s time for us to give the beaver its due and declare the waterway engineer as our official national rodent. Some may disagree, saying we already have the groundhog. Granted, the pasture poodle even has its… Continue reading.

Do you recall all the safety rules you were taught about refueling when you first learned to drive? Things like: shut off the engine; don’t smoke; don’t leave the pump unattended; and don’t overfill. If you are among the growing number of drivers sliding in behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, different “refueling” considerations apply. … Continue reading.

Strawberry Fields may be forever — at least in some of our Beatle-inspired minds — but the juicy red morsels of late spring and early summer are fleeting. Be certain not to miss out on these first fruits of the season by visiting a strawberry festival near you. All around Indiana, festivals featuring strawberries kick… Continue reading.