As a member of LaGrange County REMC, you’re in a unique position to take advantage of energy-efficiency programs offered by the cooperative. Because we are a not-for-profit organization, our goal is to provide safe, reliable power at the most affordable price for our members. This means helping you save money on your monthly electric bill.

How does practicing energy efficiency save you money? It’s common sense that if you use less electricity, your bill will be lower. But there’s more to it than that. LaGrange County REMC purchases electricity from Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA), our generation and transmission cooperative. When electric use is high, we pay peak demand charges for the electricity we purchase. By incorporating energy efficiency into your daily routine, you are helping to reduce the demand for electricity, thus lowering its overall cost. And, as a co-op, we pass these savings directly on to you! Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can save.

Basic energy efficiency practices like caulking around windows and doors, turning off lights when you leave the room and using a programmable thermostat are great ways to start saving. 

Being aware of how much energy you use is also helpful. If you want to know how much electricity an appliance is using, stop into our office and, for a nominal deposit, pick up a Kill A Watt meter. With this electric-use monitor, you can measure electric consumption on anything that plugs into a standard outlet. Return it to the REMC within 30 days and receive your deposit back or keep it to use whenever you’d like. It can help you decide if it’s time to replace an old refrigerator and understand how much a large TV or electric space heater costs to operate.  

When you use electricity is just as important as how much you use. Typically, most households use larger amounts of electricity in the mornings and in the evenings — when people are either getting ready for their day or returning home. Remember that peak demand charge? This can be avoided by lowering energy use during on-peak hours, when electricity is in high demand. The REMC has a PowerShift program that allows members the ability to switch the time when they use power, thus saving energy and costs. The cooperative passes the savings on to members in the form of lower rates or bill credits. LaGrange County REMC’s PowerShift program currently applies to field irrigators and air conditioners. 

LaGrange County REMC also has an energy advisor on staff to assist members with questions about energy use and savings. The co-op offers home energy audits free-of-charge to members. Using diagnostic equipment, our energy advisor can assess air leaks, insulation gaps and other common problems that cause homes to use more energy than required. We can also tell you more about the latest technologies for heating, cooling and lighting in a home, including heat pumps, LED lights and available rebates.

LaGrange County REMC is proud to offer energy efficiency programs to you, our members. There are many ways to save, and we want to be your trusted energy resource. Contact us at 877-463-7165 to find out more about energy efficiency and other programs we offer.