months: 742,383 (September: 756,881

4 Energy- and MoneySaving Tips for the Holiday Season

Each Thanksgiving, families across the nation gather for fellowship, feasting, and festivities. Many times, family may stay from out of town for the weekend. This, along with several other factors, can drive up your home’s energy usage during the Thanksgiving holiday. Follow these tips to gobble up energy savings this year,

„ Don’t cook more food than you need. This can include buying a turkey sized appropriately for your group. The more time the meal takes to cook, the more energy is consumed. If you’re making more food than your family and friends need, this can be energy wasted.

„ Monitor lights in your home. With the business of hosting, it’s easier to forget to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms or areas of your home. If you’re able, make the switch to energy-efficient lighting options such as LEDs, which use 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than an average incandescent light bulb. „ Wash dishes in an efficient dishwasher. Washing dishes by hand uses twice as much energy as washing dishes in an Energy Star certified dishwasher. Bonus, it will also use less water to do so! „ Lower the thermostat while you cook. Your home will warm up naturally as you cook with most appliances. Avoid unnecessary heating in your home by turning your thermostat down a few degrees while you are cooking. BONUS, before putting your hot leftovers in the fridge, let them cool down to keep your fridge from working overtime to cool them down.

FROM YOUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things that matter as families and communities take time to come together and be grateful for what they have. Here at Haywood EMC, we’re thankful for the opportunity to serve our communities by providing safe, reliable and affordable power.

We are also thankful for the many ways we are able to serve our community through our community involvement efforts such as Day of Caring, Bright Ideas Education Grants, NC Youth Tour, Economic Development and so much more! We are committed to making a difference in the areas we serve. With your membership, we also continue to pursue innovative new technologies and energy solutions that help power a brighter energy future for everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you, and for all you do to help us carry out our mission of service to our community.

High School Students: Apply for the 2023 Youth Tour

Haywood EMC is selecting two rising juniors or seniors to represent the co-op at next summer’s Youth Tour in June.

Be a part of the 40-plus outstanding high school students selected from electric cooperatives across the state to travel to Washington, D.C. During the weeklong trip, students will network with peers from across the country, meet members of congress, visit national museums and historic landmarks, and grow in confidence and friendships. Students will learn about electric cooperatives and help run their own “Co-op,” where they can put the cooperative principles into practice. As part of the Youth Tour experience, participants will have the opportunity to win one of three scholarships, including the prestigious Youth Leadership Council (YLC) Scholarship. In addition to the scholarship, the YLC designee will represent the state of North Carolina in an elite leadership-building program and on a national stage at the 2023 National Annual Meeting of electric cooperatives.

Interested applicants can learn more and apply on our website at haywoodemc.com/youthtour