Whether we’re ready or not, August marks the close of summer and the beginning of back-to-school commercials and school supply shopping. This year, while you’re busy stocking up on the binders, pencils and hand sanitizer that’ll help you and your kids have a successful school year, check out our handy guide on how your kids can ace the semester with our top three tips:

• A penny saved is a penny earned, but with tons of supplies on your shopping list, it can be a hassle to cut coupons and find ways to stay within your budget. Thankfully, when you use natural gas to energize your home’s appliances, you can be sure to save an average of $900/year – making back-to-school shopping a little less daunting.
• To keep up with your busy back-to-school schedule, buying an agenda is a must to be sure you’re operating at full efficiency. If you’re going the extra mile to make the most of your time, effort and savings — especially once the hustle and bustle of school picks up – you shouldn’t expect anything less from your home’s energy source either. Take advantage of natural gas’ source-to-site efficiency of over 90%, which delivers nearly all of the useful energy in the original source directly into your home.
• You wouldn’t want a pen that runs out right when you need it most — you want a reliable writing utensil. The same should go for your home’s energy source. Instead of relying solely on intermittent renewables or our overburdened electric grid — which costs American consumers ~$150 billion a year in power interruptions — switching to natural gas can provide you with consistent energy that doesn’t depend on the sun or wind to keep your home energized.

Thanks to the endless variety of options across your local stores, back-to-school shopping can be tailored to your (and your child’s) every need. Having choices is important – just imagine being told exactly which backpack to get! Make sure you take advantage of your ability to choose the most affordable, efficient and reliable energy source that meets the needs of your home or business. Choosing natural gas means choosing the smart choice. Be a smart cookie this school year and make the switch!