May Your Holidays Be Merry and Bright
As November kicks off, it’s hard to believe we’ll soon be gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season. This festive time of year brings joy and warmth, but as the weather gets cooler and we spend more time indoors, the holidays can also bring increased energy use and a higher risk of electrical and fire hazards.
As your local electric cooperative, our team at Canoochee EMC cares about your well-being. This month, we’d like to share a few practical tips to help you stay safe and efficient during the holiday season.
Safety First
Many of us enjoy decorating our home for the holidays. Before we deck the halls, we should always check electrical cords and light strands to make sure they aren’t frayed or damaged. This should give you peace of mind, knowing your holiday lights are ready to
safely brighten your home. You should also double-check the lights you use outside to make sure they’re rated for outdoor use.
Like many households, we are sure you also enjoy holiday-scented candles, but remember that festive candles can create fire hazards and should never be left unattended. One of the best and easiest ways to safeguard your home is to test smoke alarms often. A good rule of thumb is to test them on the first of each month so it’s easy to remember. Testing smoke alarms only takes a few seconds and could save lives, so make it a habit.
’Tis the Season for Savings
Spending more time indoors with a few more guests in your home can really impact home energy use. By taking a few small steps to save energy during the holiday season, you can lower your bills.
Tips for a Safe and Efficient Holiday Season
This holiday season, keep energy savings and electrical safety in mind.
SAVE ENERGY
• Use smaller appliances like slow cookers instead of the oven.
• Lower the thermostat when hosting friends and family.
• Decorate with energy-saving LED lights.
PRIORITIZE SAFETY
• Never leave unattended candles burning.
• Ensure all smoke alarms are working.
• When decorating, inspect all light strands and cords for damage.
Since heating and cooling makes up the majority of home energy consumption, the thermostat is one of the best places for savings. Lower it a few degrees, especially when you have family or friends stopping by. Good company brings additional warmth to your home. Your family can also save energy by decorating with LED holiday lights. LEDs are the most energ-efficient lighting options available, and they last much longer than traditional bulbs.
There’s no denying one of the best parts of the holiday season is the food. There are many ways to save energy in the kitchen, but one of the best approaches is to cook with smaller countertop appliances, such as air fryers, slow cookers and toaster ovens. These handy appliances consume a fraction of the energy used to heat the oven, creating the perfect recipe for mealtime and energy savings.
We hope you will implement some of these energy-saving and safety tips into your holiday plans. We’re here to help you with safety and savings year-round.
From your friends at Canoochee EMC, we hope your holiday season is merry and bright.
Local Couple Learns More About Cooperatives at Conference Sponsored by Canoochee EMC
hace and Elizabeth Clark of Collins were selected by Canoochee EMC to represent the cooperative at the annual Georgia Cooperative Council Couples Conference. The three-day event gives couples across the state the opportunity to visit the plains of south Georgia to learn more about the cooperative business model and the positive impact of co-ops at the local, state and national levels.
“As a co-op, we strive to not only provide our members with reliable electricity, but to also build leaders in our community by providing educational experiences and opportunities to network,” says Joe Sikes of Canoochee EMC. “Sending couples to the Couples Conference each year is a way we contribute to that goal.”
This year’s group traveled to the historic Windsor Hotel in Americus Aug. 23-25 for a weekend of fun, fellowship and learning. Throughout the weekend, couples participated in short but educational sessions led by Georgia EMC, Pineland Telephone,
AgGeorgia Farm Credit and AgSouth Farm Credit.
The cooperative sessions placed a special focus on the seven Cooperative Principles that apply to all business cooperatives, which include Voluntary and Open Membership, Democratic Membership Control, Members’ Economic Participation, Autonomy and Independence, Education, Training and Information, Cooperation Among Cooperatives and Concern for Community.
These sessions made couples aware of the benefits of cooperatives, noted the differences of co-ops from other businesses and explained how those differences benefit our communities. The positive small-group sessions fostered open dialogue between attendees, allowing them to network with each other.
Attending couples not only learned from presentations but also from firsthand experience. The group also traveled to the Sumter EMC headquarters in Americus for informational sessions and a tour of
the facilities to see how a local EMC functions.
Couples left the conference with the motivation to strengthen their relationship with their local co-ops and step up as leaders in their own co-ops and communities.
“The comradery and the passion of co-ops truly wanting each other to succeed is great to see and learn. It’s something we need more of,” says Chace Clark.
“It’s a pleasure to share my own EMC experience while helping educate others about the benefits of the cooperative business model,” says Byron McCombs, longtime EMC employee and retiree, who is serving as president of the Georgia Cooperative Council. “Cooperatives exemplify perfectly what can be accomplished by working together for the benefit of all.”
The 2024 Couples Conference was made possible by the generous support of the electric membership cooperatives of Georgia and the Georgia Cooperative Council.
Chace and Elizabeth Clark
2024 Couples Conference participants
When Should You Turn on the Heat?
TThanksgiving dinner marks the start of the winter holidays and can be a time for family, fun and fabulous food.
It also creates a risk for kitchen fires, usually because of unattended cooking, the use of cooking fryers and an increase in the amount of baking and cooking. Year-round, cooking starts more house fires and in-home injuries than any other activity.
Here are some tips for safe Thanksgiving meal prep from the National Fire Prevention Association:
• If the stovetop burners are turned on, you should be in the kitchen.
• Turkeys need to roast for hours. Check on yours often while the oven is on.
• Keep children 3 feet away from a hot stove. Not only could they burn themselves on a working burner, but splatter from steam, hot gravy and brewing coffee could harm them.
• Clean up before you cook. Too
much clutter in the kitchen—especially near the stove or on the floor—can cause people to trip, hot food to spill and small appliances or pans to fall over.
• Don’t leave knives out when you’re not handling them. It might be inconvenient to take them out and put them away all day long, but that makes it harder for a child to pick
one up or a cook’s helper to accidentally brush against one.
• Candlelight adds ambience to a Thanksgiving table, but don’t light the candles until everyone is ready to sit down. And blow out the flames before you leave the room.
• Check the batteries in your home’s smoke alarms. Simply push the test button and listen for the beep. All Canoochee EMC office locations will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29, for Thanksgiving.
Federal Tax Credits, Incentives and Rebates for Efficiency Upgrades
By Miranda Boutelle
Tax credits and rebates can help bridge the affordability gap to higher efficiency equipment for your home, allowing you to complete energy efficiency upgrades that can lower your energy use and save you money in years to come.
First, knowing the difference between a tax credit and rebate is important. A rebate is a payment for purchasing or installing a qualified product or home improvement. Depending on how the rebate program is set up, it may be provided at the time of purchase or applied for and received after installation. Check with your electric cooperative to see if they offer rebates. Typically, the rebate is applied as a credit on your electric bill. In some cases, the rebate is provided as a cash payment to those who complete eligible projects.
When shopping for appliances, look for the Energy Star logo on the energy guide to identify which products are the most efficient options.
A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar amount that taxpayers can report on their tax documents to reduce the amount of taxes owed. You apply for a tax credit when you file your tax documents, so it typically takes longer to reap the benefits than it does with a rebate.
Tax credits for Energy Star-rated heat pump water heaters cover 30% of the project cost, or up to $2,000.
According to Energy Star, homeowners can qualify for up to $3,200 annually in federal tax credits for energy efficiency upgrades. Federal tax credits are available for heating and cooling system upgrades, including heat pumps, furnaces, central air conditioners, boilers and geothermal heat pumps. Tax credits for Energy Star-rated heat pump water heaters cover 30% of the project cost, up to $2,000.
You can also improve your home’s envelope—the portion of the home that separates the inside from the outside—with tax credits for insulation, windows and skylights.
If an energy efficiency
You can also improve your home’s envelope with tax credits for insulation.
upgrade requires improving the electrical panel in your home, there’s also a tax credit for that. You can receive 30% of the cost of the panel upgrade, up to $600. These federal tax credits are available through 2032. You must own the home you’re upgrading, and it must be your primary residence. Federal tax credits only apply to existing homes in the United States, not new construction.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 expanded available funding for many home upgrades. The act allocated $8.8 million for home rebate programs to be implemented at the state level, and this funding is offered in two different programs. The HOMES Program allows up to $8,000 a home for standardincome households. Higher rebates are available for low- to moderate-income households. The HEAR Program offers rebates of up to $14,000 a home for qualified, efficient electric equipment for low- to moderate-income households.
These programs are designed to bolster existing programs and should be available in late 2024 or early 2025. Check with your EMC or state office to find out if they are being offered in your state.
Additional energy efficiency rebates might also be available. More than half of U.S. states require energy efficiency programs for residents, according to the American Council for an EnergyEfficient Economy. These programs can help people save money on their electric bills and help states meet climate goals, reduce system costs and improve the electric grid.
Miranda Boutelle is the chief operating officer at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon. She has more than 20 years of experience helping people save energy at home and writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing nearly 900 electric co-ops.
MARK GILLILAND, PIONEER UTILITY RESOURCES
