Your tax refund can safeguard energy needs
May 2026
Energy security means having access to affordable reliable power.
story courtesy of Brandpoint
Have you received your tax refund? You may find that this year’s refund is about 10% higher than last year, according to CNBC, creating a rare financial opportunity. How will you spend it?
In past years, you may have earmarked a tax refund for fun purchases, trips, paying down debt or other discretionary spending. However, this year’s refund offers you an opportunity to invest in energy security by purchasing a backup power solution to offset rising longterm energy costs and provide reliable power now and for years to come.
WHAT IS ENERGY SECURITY?
Household energy security goes beyond powering your home’s appliances, communication tools, medical equipment and other essentials during a blackout. Energy security means having access to affordable and reliable power to meet your home’s daily energy needs.
According to the North American Energy Reliability Commission’s 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, 13 of 23 North American assessment areas face elevated or high resource-adequacy risks over the next five years, with demand growth driven by data centers and AI threatening to outpace the rate of new resource additions. The rising cost of energy is also putting pressure on household and business budgets nationwide.
POWER YOUR HOME ON YOUR OWN
The good news is that you can generate and store essential home backup power independently of the grid. Solar generators — such as Jackery’s portable, powerful and compact home backup power stations — are designed for emergencies, outages and everyday energy savings.
Unlike traditional gas generators, solar generators require minimal maintenance and offer silent, fume-free operation for safe indoor use, keeping essential devices running during outages. More importantly, backup power solutions can help offset rising electricity costs by using stored energy during peak hours to power high-cost appliances.
While solar power is the energy-efficient way to charge backup power solutions, they can also be recharged using a wall outlet or 12-volt car port, giving you flexibility and reliability when it matters most. Whole-home generators, solar power systems and battery backup systems are also options — though they can be pricier and require coordination with your co-op to ensure they are installed correctly to provide safe, reliable power and protect lineworkers responding when outages occur.
Long-term energy security isn’t a luxury. It’s essential.
This year, consider investing your tax refund in your home’s long-term energy preparedness and independence.