in other words
WOEC Current
december11
2012
7
News and Notes From the Co-op: Be Festive and Energy Smart this Holiday Season!
By Sarah Rossi
The holiday season is full of
cheer, family time, and wonderful foods.
It is also a time for extra energy usage.
Your electric bill can escalate due to the
many appliances being used to cook
those delicious holiday dinners, all the
light strands decorating the outside
of your house, the lighted miniature
Christmas villages, inflatable Santa/
snowman/snow globe, and those lighted
reindeer that just happen to be hanging
out in your yard. Add to all that energy
usage the extra heating needs that the
cold weather brings, and all the time
you spend baking those tasty Christmas
confections and you have started your
own personal energy crisis.
The good news is that with a
few energy saving modifications, the bill
might not have to be as bad as previous
years. Please look at the suggestions
below for decorating and cooking/
entertaining ideas to help you use energy
wisely this holiday season.
Decorating:
•
Consider replacing older
strings of holiday lights with more
energy efficient lights emitting diodes,
LEDs. Most stores now sell LED lights,
and many of the new outside Christmas
decorations are already made with them.
Minimize fire hazard risk with LEDs, as
they are shatterproof, shock resistant,
safe to touch, and shouldn’t overload
your electric circuits. LEDs save up
to 80-90 percent of your decorative
lighting energy costs, and use 10 times
less energy than incandescent mini-
lights and 100 times less energy than
standard bulbs.
• Wait until dark to turn on your
Christmas lights and make sure to turn
them off before you go to bed. Six hours
or less of daily use is a good goal to aim
for.
• Using holiday lighting wisely
can lower power consumption. Timers
and photo cells can help reduce power
usage by turning the lights on at dusk
and turning them off at a desired time.
Just make sure that the timer you use is
rated to handle the total wattage of your
lights.
•
Fiber optic trees and
decorations are the ultimate in energy
efficiency. In most cases, they use a
single light bulb located in the base of
the unit to light the entire decoration.
That makes them energy smart and
budget smart.
• Turn your room lights off
when your tree lights are on. The lights
on your Christmas tree may provide
more than enough lighting to navigate
around the room.
Wauna FCU Announces
Employee of the Quarter
by a member or a coworker, and he
helps to bring a smile to those around
him.”
Congratulations
to
Brian
Franck, our Employee of the Quarter!
Congratulations to Brian Franck
at the Vernonia Branch, recognized by
coworkers as Employee of the Quarter
for the 3rd Quarter, 2012. Brian is a
Member Services Representative, and
specializes in assisting members with
their transactions, helping to provide
clear answers to their questions, and
generally to bring a little cheer to
anyone who visits the branch.
Brian is a resident of Vernonia
and joined Wauna Federal Credit
Union in 2005. He previously held
titles of Loan Officer and Mortgage
Loan Officer for the Credit Union. He
was nominated for a variety of reasons
including one he is well known for
throughout the organization: “Brian
is willing to do whatever it takes to
help get the job done right,” reports
Vernonia Branch Manager Pam Weller.
“He is the first person to volunteer
whenever something extra is required
• Christmas lights are nice,
but so are candles. Set up luminaries
along your walkway and use candles
throughout your home to achieve a
beautiful holiday glow, without adding to
the electric bill. Just be sure to use them
safely and never leave them unattended.
Also the new LED flameless candles are
great for giving a room that candle glow
without the dangers of an open flame, all
with one little battery that lasts a very
long time.
Cooking/Entertaining:
• Use your microwave and
toaster oven for small holiday cooking
tasks, and save the oven for big cooking
tasks.
• The holiday season is a big
time for baking. Make the most of
your oven and the energy that goes into
heating it, by cooking several dishes
at once. Remember: it takes the same
amount of energy to heat a full oven as it
does a nearly empty one.
• Whether preparing holiday
feasts or simply doing some baking,
don’t be tempted to open the oven door.
Every time you do, the temperature goes
down 25 degrees, forcing your oven to
work harder and use more energy.
• Use lids on your pots; foods
cook faster (meaning less energy use)
when the lid is on and you use the right
cookware. There is a lot to be said for
proper tools in the kitchen, and investing
in the right cooking instruments can
actually help you cut back on your
energy use while helping you create
delicious holiday treats.
• Don’t pre-rinse your dishes.
Dishwashers today are powerful enough
to clean without the necessity of pre-
washing everything. Just scrape the big
stuff off and put them in the dishwasher
to cut back on water use and energy by
letting your dishwasher fulfill its purpose
on its own.
• While entertaining guests, you
can turn the thermostat down. The extra
bodies in the house means extra warmth
at no cost to you.
• Remember entertaining guests
after dinner can be as simple as playing
some board games, or taking a walk
around Vernonia to look at Christmas
lights and decorations. The important
part of the season is spending time with
your family and friends.
A few simple changes can
make a big difference in your energy
bills. Using just a few of these tips
can keep you festive and energy smart
without your family and friends even
noticing the difference.
Enjoy the
Holidays!
Wauna FCU Recognizes
Whitton for 5 Years
Sue
Whitton
is
being
celebrated for five years of service as
an employee of Wauna Federal Credit
Union. She is currently the Operations
Manager for the Vernonia Branch, and
has previously served as a member
services representative and a new
accounts specialist. “Sue has been an
integral part of branch operations,”
stated Pam Weller, Vernonia Branch
Manager. “Members, coworkers, and
visitors benefit from her combination
of excellent operations skills, strong
management background, and her
cheerful personality. Everyone feels
happy when Sue is in the room. In
addition, Sue is very active in the
community.” Sue Whitton and her family
reside in Vernonia. Congratulations to
Sue Whitton for five years of excellent
service to Wauna Federal Credit Union.
Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month on the 2nd
and 4th Tuesday. Look for our next issue on December 25th.
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