Page 4 Fall Home Improvement 2026 Lincoln Daily News With Energy Prices Going Up, Is It Time to Invest in Solar? This past summer was a very warm one. Time Magazine reported that, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July 2026 was the warmest on record. NOAA has been keeping weather data for the past 132 years. As the weather gets warmer, people need more electricity to keep their AC’s running and their homes cooler. It is no secret that the cost of electricity has been going up. Ameren Illinois recently released a statement that they were going to increase their electricity prices for the peak summer months. While this is regular practice for the company, it is still a hit to the wallet when one is told they must now pay 11.326 cents per kilowatt hour. It then stands to reason that people would be looking to lower their monthly electricity costs, especially during these summer months. While solar is a touchy subject in Logan County, it is a way to generate electricity without needing to rely solely on Ameren for electricity supplies. Lincoln Daily News was recently able to sit down with Craig Pals of Tick Tock Energy, Inc. out of Effingham, Illinois to ask some questions not just about their company, but about home solar in general. Tick Tock Energy was founded in 2006 by Craig and his brother Eric. It boasts being “one of the longest-established solar energy firms in Illinois.” According to Craig Pals (to be referred to as Pals), they were created when solar was just getting its start in the state. Pals shared that the goal of Tick Tock Energy is to help homeowners and businesses become more “energy independent.” This energy independence comes with financial benefits as well. Pals stated that one of the greatest benefits of having solar on your home is the ability to generate your own electricity. This then makes homeowners more “energy independent" by allowing them to rely less on power from the grid and more on the power their solar panels would be generating. This, in turn, will allow homeowners to reduce their monthly electric bill. Another great benefit, at least for those who own electric vehicles, is the ability to generate your own “gasoline.” The power from the solar panels could offset the cost of recharging such a vehicle, in essence allowing the homeowner to generate power for their vehicle.
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