One of my favorite things about summer is the opportunity for fresh, homegrown food, whether 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 just 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 Daviess-Martin County REMC’s publications regularly and follow us on Facebook, 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. But why? Cooling your home accounts for a large portion of your monthly energy use, and the hotter it gets, the harder (and longer) your air conditioner works to keep you cool.

I would also 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 Daviess-Martin County REMC is that we’re locally owned by you, our members. So, instead of making profits, we can focus on helping our community. That’s why we’ve developed incentives and programs to help you keep your money in your wallet.

SAVE MONEY WITH THESE EASY INCENTIVES:

• Rebates — Daviess-Martin County REMC offers three 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 dmremc.com.

• Take control of your use — Use SmartHub to track your energy use. You can even get alerts when your use spikes to make changes in real time.

• Ways to pay — If you’re having difficulty paying the higher bills that come with increased use in the summer, contact us to learn about our budget billing program.

Most people don’t know everything about electricity, so we’re here to help. There are no investors making profits here. Just knowledgeable people with local jobs, working for our neighbors to ensure electricity is available when you need it. Contact us, and we can work with you to find more ways to save energy — and money.