My sisters and I had the power to make bookstores tremble – with anticipation.

Calling the three of us big readers is like saying Denver’s a little into sports. From childhood on, we devoured books, swallowing them whole and leaving memories in their wake. So basically Jaws, with better taste in fiction.

Our parents knew this. They loved it. And they wanted to see more of it. So they made us kids a deal. Anytime we wanted to buy a book, they’d pay half.

Naturally, our bookshelves filled to bursting. After all, when you encourage something, you get more of it.

Which brings me to energy efficiency.

Everyone likes saving money. And with electricity, that generally means saving energy. It’s one of those things that benefits everyone – you get lower bills, we get less demand on our system.

We know it. We love it. And we want to see more of it. So we encourage it.

Our main way of doing that has been through Efficiency Works, where residents can get a $60 energy appraisal (a $400 value!) and then rebates on a number of home energy efficiency measures. We’ve also got offerings to help businesses save energy and even an online Efficiency Works store with stuff like LED lightbulbs and smart thermostats.

But we also know that for some households money can be tight. And so we’re working with Platte River Power Association and Energy Outreach Colorado to offer a low-income energy efficiency program. If you meet the income qualifications, you can get a free home energy visit, which may in turn lead to free home upgrades such as air sealing, furnace and boiler safety checks, or insulation in the crawlspace, walls, and attic.

There’s more about the program here, including applications if you’re eligible and interested. You can also call 303-226-5061 for more information.

So yes, there are a lot of options. Look through them and see which ones fit your needs. It all adds up to the savings we both want to see.

And that’s a story well worth reading.