We're halfway through June and already starting to feel the sultry heat of summer settle in. With Arkansas' two steamiest months right around the corner, there is still time to plan ahead and beat mother nature at her game.

When the word “solar” comes to mind, one might think of NASA’s space program or the handy device that charges your battery-powered accessories. What you might not know is solar energy is actually easily accessible, and you can use the sun’s energy for some pretty expensive stuff, like keeping your house at a comfortable 65 degrees on a triple digit day.

On average, households in the Northwest Arkansas area spend anywhere between $1,100-$1,500 in electricity yearly, with an increase of 16% spent during the summer months alone, based on annual reports from Carrol Electric. That’s nearly an extra $50.00 a month flying out of your pocket from June-September! Now imagine putting that cash back into your pocket and saving it for that trip to Cancun you've been planning. By going solar, you can potentially be free of your power bill, and what we like to call, being "energy self-sufficient."

But I know what you're thinking, "What are the long-term effects of this?" Usually, when something sounds too good to be true (like saving a ton of money on a utility bill-or not having one at all), well, it is.  But by using solar energy to power and cool your home or business, you can start saving money from day one, increase the value of your home, and also get a kickback from the federal government in tax credits!

Look out for our next few blog posts as we start to break each one of these topics down. Solar out!