About Us
Tick Tock Energy, founded in 2006 and located in Effingham, IL, is one of the Midwest’s premier providers of solutions to cut your utility costs. In addition to being a leading LED lighting and solar contractor in Illinois, we also offer knowledgeable energy solutions consulting to our customers in St. Louis, MO and beyond.
Are you striving to cut your energy bills and achieve greater energy independence? If you’re a commercial business, farm or residential property owner, or other like-minded person or organization, you have come to the right place!
Welcome to our website. Here you’ll find a summary of our energy-efficient LED lighting, solar, small-wind, daylighting, and power management solutions we offer.
We hope to inspire, educate and motivate you to take action. Our energy solutions company grew out of two mantras: “time is ticking – it’s time to take action” and “time is money – don’t delay, take action now!”
Find out how we can help lower your energy costs and/or boost your cashflow today – don’t delay! Please sign up for our newsletter and keep in touch. Call or email Tick Tock Energy through our Contact Us page.
Our Mission
Inspire, educate, and motivate individuals and organizations to achieve greater energy independence at their home, farm or business.
As a leading energy solutions company in Illinois and surrounding area, we believe in self-sufficiency and the power of individuals taking action to lower energy use. There are plenty of great solutions available to solve our energy challenges. It just takes action—and that’s where we help things move forward.
Why is it Important to Cut Your Utility Costs?
In 1971, the last tie to a gold standard was severed. Prior to that time, the US dollar was still backed by a small fraction of gold. After that point the US dollar became simply paper and was more easily created, allowing mass expansion of the money supply. This growth has fueled massive government spending to the point that today the US deficit is now over $20 trillion dollars. The creation of easy money led to big debt, making conditions ripe for inflation. As the interest on our debt grows, the amount of tax revenue required to just pay interest on the national debt alone is becoming unsustainable.
PROTECT YOURSELF from a brewing FINANCIAL STORM!
Throughout the 1960s, the average price of electricity in the US was low and stable. During the 1970s, electricity costs exploded and rose, on average, 17% year-after-year until the 1980s. Since then, average electricity prices have continued to increase throughout the US. Today, average electricity prices are up over 400% or more throughout the United States.
THINK about the next 10 to 20 years.
Ask yourself the question: how can I, or my business, survive if energy prices continue to climb? Homeowners – if electricity prices become unaffordable, what will you cut back on first?
The good news is with today’s technology, it is easy to reduce, produce, and manage energy costs to nearly zero and—with the right investments—become “net zero.”
DON’T LOSE to high energy bills!
Our Customers and What They Say
We are proud to have served as the energy solutions company and solar contractor of choice for a diverse range of customers over the years, from large corporations down to residential homeowners.
We have deployed many energy saving solutions to achieve great results for many of our clients. We’ve installed over 1 Megawatt (MW) of solar and small wind capacity and have reduced several Megawatts (MW) of electrical demand through energy-efficient lighting and other solutions.
What Our Farm & Residential Customers Say:
“I was very impressed with your installers. They did a great job and were very courteous and professional.”
– Colin C., Farmer
“These were wonderful people to work with.”
– Margie M., Homeowner
“I looked at several companies online. Several were a lot closer to me and I just I wasn’t impressed with what I saw. Even though your company was a lot further away you seemed to be the only one qualified to do the job so I reached out to you. I’m very happy with the project you installed.”
– Herb E., Homeowner
What Our Corporate Customers Say:
– Alex H., Plant Manager, Hitachi Metals Automotive Components
– Mike S., Regional Construction Mgr., TA Petro Shopping Centers
– Ken T., Project Engineer, Pinnacle Foods Group, LLC.
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– Joel H., General Manager, Nexstep Commercial Products
Our Story
Tick Tock Energy, Inc. was formed in 2006 by brothers Craig, Eric and Matt Pals.
It all started in 2003 after Eric was ten years into his electrical contracting career. He started first as an apprentice electrician but quickly rose through ranks becoming a journeyman, project foreman, and later assistant business agent for IBEW Local 146.
Eric desired a change and having an independent and entrepreneurial spirit he desired to join forces with dad Mike, founder of Pals Electric, Inc., a family electrical contracting business founded in 1983 and now led by younger brother Matt. However, the market in early 2000 for area electrical contractors was not ideal and Eric didn’t feel the financial viability of leaving his IBEW position was feasible.
Frustrated and looking for change, Eric started calling and seeking advice from Craig who lived in Los Angeles, CA. At the time, Craig was managing energy-efficiency and power generation development projects for Sempra Energy Solution (SES), now Honeywell. Craig is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in mechanical engineering and had been involved in building energy retrofits of all types. Many of the energy retrofit projects he managed were supported by electricians.
During one phone conversation with Eric, Craig suggested “let’s start a business” focused on delivering energy solutions in Illinois and then beyond. Like his brother, Craig also had a desire to start a business and was intrigued by the discussion. That phone call was the initial spark.
By fall 2004, planning a new business was in high gear and, by October 2004, the commitment was finalized – we were going to start a business! Though yet unnamed, Tick Tock Energy was moving forward.
The year 2005 was spent business planning and trying to come up with a name for the company. By February 2006 it was official, Tick Tock Energy was incorporated. Eric, Craig and Matt finally launched the new company. Since Eric and Matt, as well as Pals Electric, were based in their hometown of Teutopolis, IL, Craig decided he would support the business growth remotely from Los Angeles. By this time Matt was increasingly taking on management of Pals Electric which is the primary installation subcontractor on Tick Tock Energy projects. Eric and Craig assumed day-to-day management of Tick Tock Energy.
Today, Tick Tock Energy has served over 250 clients since 2007 reducing, producing and managing their client’s energy costs. The company is one of the leading energy solutions contractors and providers of lighting, solar and other solutions in Central and Southern Illinois. The company is expanding throughout the Midwest and beyond.
The company has completed projects in Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Nebraska. Tick Tock seeks to continue its presence through its network of energy professionals and specialist contractors.
Leadership:
Eric Pals, President
Eric started Tick Tock along with brother Craig from his kitchen table in rural Illinois. Eric has lived and breathed electrical work and the electrical contracting business since the tender age of 14, helping father Mike wire houses when he was a youngster.
Eric has 15 kW of solar capacity at his home which generates most of his annual electricity requirements of his busy household.
The Tick Tock Team:
Our team brings a solid background in sales, engineering, electrical work, and project management with expertise in small residential solar projects up to utility scale MW-sized solar installations. In addition, to our core team, we’re also supported by a trusted network of vendors and subcontractors.
Family Electrical Subcontractor Partner:
Pals Electric, Inc.
Pals Electric is headed by Craig and Eric’s younger brother Matt, and is a company founded by their dad Mike in 1983. Pals Electric has over 25 employees and provides electrical contracting services to industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential customers throughout Central and Southern Illinois and beyond. Pals Electric provides physical construction, wiring, and start-up of Tick Tock Energy’s solar, wind, and energy-efficiency installations. The company is also State of Illinois DG (Distributed Generation) Certified.
Craig Pals, Vice President
Craig started Tick Tock out of his home in Los Angeles before moving back to Illinois to join Eric. Passionate about energy independence, his spark for “saving energy” started during his college days at California State University, Long Beach.
He holds a Professional Engineering (PE) license in Mechanical Engineering and has managed all types of building energy retrofit projects. Besides overseeing many facets of Tick Tock’s day-to-day activities, he’s an enthusiastic gardener and hobby orchardist. His humble garden produces over 500 pounds of produce and bushels of fruit and nuts. An avid traveler, he completed his goal in 2017 to visit all 50 U.S. states.
Craig has a 4.4 kW (DC) solar array on his home and generates all his annual electricity needs (while growing a good portion of his family’s food supply too!).
We’re Hiring and Looking to Expand Our Network!
As our business continues to grow, we’re also looking to add new members and companies to our team.
Contact us today to find out more how you can help us deliver solar, lighting and energy solutions to a wider area.
How did we come up with our name?
Have you ever had to come up with a name for an energy solutions company? Good luck – it’s a difficult task! During our company planning stage, we spent nearly a year coming up with a name. Our goal was to find a name that communicated our message, was memorable, and had an available internet domain.
After much frustration in our search, we were ready to file incorporation documents and really needed a name! One late night, Craig was talking to his mom who was a former sales executive for AFLAC. He reminisced about the time before and after the “Duck,” AFLAC’s infamous mascot. Craig wondered how AFLAC came up with that catchy idea which created viral recognition.
Craig further explained to his mom about the Tick Tock’s mission, products, and services. She then asked, “what about ‘time’? You know, ‘time is money,’ ‘time to take action’?” That was the “light bulb” moment and Craig instantly heard ticking sounds. The name was born.
The next morning with a wind-up alarm clock in hand to illustrate the point, he ran it by brothers Eric and Matt and they embraced the concept. Along with incorporation, they quickly registered the domain name and filed for trademark for the company’s new name – task complete!