We all need a reliable energy grid, right? So, it’s fair to say we should all share in the costs of building and maintaining it.
That’s the premise of LaGrange County REMC’s new rate design that will go into effect next month. These changes will make the cost of service more equitable between the different rate classes of members — whether residential, agricultural or commercial — and will better manage costs that are incurred regardless of the amount of electricity used.
And most importantly, it will affect each member differently.
We’ve discussed and outlined the change over the past few months on our website, in Indiana Connection, through messaging on your bills, and elsewhere to make sure you’re prepared when that first bill hits your mailbox or inbox.
While we want you to be prepared with the financial impact, we also want you to be prepared with solutions if you want to reduce your energy consumption to help lower your costs.
The average household won’t see a dramatic change in its monthly bill — about a $2 increase for those using 1,000 kilowatt-hours — but for those that consume more than average, we have some suggestions to keep your use down or upgrade your energy efficiency:
… we also want you to be prepared with solutions if you want to reduce your energy consumption to help lower your costs.
Request an energy audit
Our energy advisor, Jake Taylor, is here to help you save energy, and usually that means money as well. He provides free audits of your home or business to evaluate your energy use and suggests ways you may be able to take advantage of our POWER MOVES® rebates or invest in energy-efficient appliances and systems. This will all save you money in the long run.
Improve efficiency in your home or business
Visit lagrangeremc.com to use resources from our brand partner, Touchstone Energy, to learn how you can improve energy efficiency on your own. This can be found under the “Together We Save” tab at the top of our homepage. Simply click, and you’ll be taken to the Home Efficiency Analysis Tool and other implements that can help you learn more.
Download our app to view your use
The LaGrange County REMC app lets you monitor your use, so you can see when you use more electricity and adjust your habits accordingly. You can also set up alerts to notify you by text or email to high use when you’re not able to check the app regularly and consistently. This can help to find issues before it becomes a much bigger problem.
Move your energy use to off-peak times
Our peak usually occurs between the hours of 4-8 p.m., when the most energy is being used system-wide at one time. This causes the price for energy to be the most expensive, and it’s easy to see why. This is the time when people are getting home from work and school, starting up their stoves for dinner, turning on the television to relax or throwing laundry into the wash. If you choose to do some of these during the off-peak hours, you’ll help save energy costs.
For more information on the rate change and what to expect in October, visit lagrangeremc.com, under “Rates & Policies.”
