On The Wire @ WCEC

Capital Credit Retirement and Payment

Be on the lookout for a little something on your December bill that will make the holidays a little brighter - and the bill load lighter. It's capital credit retirement time, and that means a little extra jingle in the pockets of all members. That's because payments are allotted on a percentage basis of the capital credits each member has accrued over the years.

Capital credits represent a member’s capital participation as a member of WCEC, based on their electricity purchases. Each year, the board of directors of WCEC review the financial condition of the cooperative to determine what amount can be paid to members from their capital credit accounts. The decision is based on the previous year’s margins, and the current financial needs of WCEC. This year the board approved retiring a little over $2 million in capital credits.

Payments will be made in the form of a bill credit. WCEC has several billing cycles. The credits will appear on bills mailed from December 8, 2020 through January 4, 2021, and your bill will be reduced by the amount of the credit. For those on pre-pay, the amount will be added as credit on the account and then uploaded as electricity purchased. Of note, any payments over $300 will be mailed as a check.

Bill credits are eco-friendly and eliminate costs associated with sending checks. As a non-profit electric cooperative, WCEC strives to keep your bills low. We adopted this efficiency two years ago, which simplifies the process for members, and the cooperative, while also saving money.

In total, over the last 31 years over $28 million has been returned to our members for a tremendous positive impact on our local economy. Credits earned are not a vested interest in the cooperative. They are only paid out when capital credits on the books are retired. The amount of retired capital credits paid to each member varies depending on the amount of electricity purchased and the number of years as a member of the cooperative.

As a reminder, be sure to inform us of any mailing address change to ensure timely receipt of any future payments. If you have such a change or a question about your check, please email us a note at info@wcec.org or call one of our Member Services Representatives at 903-763-2203.

Safety Tips

Winterize Safely

As you take steps to winterize your home, use the opportunity to check for electrical hazards. The dry winter air is a perfect environment for electric shock and fire. Use this electrical safety checklist to eliminate hazards.

Check outlets and make sure they are not overloaded or warm to the touch.
Examine electrical cords for cracks, frays and damaged plugs.
Check that light bulbs are securely installed in light fixtures.
Test and reset ground-fault circuit interrupters in the bathroom, laundry room, kitchen and outdoor outlets. If these outlets don’t have GFCIs, have them installed.
Test your smoke detector batteries and replace them every six months

Decorate for Energy Efficiency This Holiday

The festive holiday mood may make you want to decorate to the max with sparkly lights and yard decorations but remember to consider cost and energy savings. As you put the finishing touches on your Nativity scene or Santa’s sleigh, be sure to remember these energy efficient holiday decorating tips.

Buy LED lights

Those old incandescent holiday lights you have been putting up forever are inefficient, and despite careful storage, often emerge only halfway lit with many being tossed in landfills. Instead, save money by replacing them with Energy Star-qualified LEDs. In addition to using 70% less energy than traditional bulbs, LEDs are brighter, eco-friendly and safer, as they are much cooler than incandescent lights. Plus you can use up to 24 strings of LEDs connected end-to-end without overloading a wall socket. And these bulbs last up to 25 times longer when used correctly.

Limit Hourly Usage

Use a timer for your lights to automatically turn on at dusk and off later in the night when fewer people are out to enjoy them. Save money on your electric bill by keeping light displays on only when you can see them at night. If you are still using traditional incandescent bulbs, this tip is even more important for cutting energy costs.

Reflect Your Creativity

Carefully placed reflective ornaments and tinsel can be just as bright at night, so get creative with your lighting display to multiply your shine. You could even mirror your next-door neighbors’ costly display with a string of silver bells on your railing. Not interested in electric lights at all? Ribbons, wreaths, garland and reflective menorahs provide a traditional, electricity-free ambiance.

Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month

Energy bills can increase during winter for a variety of reasons, like house guests, more time spent at home, and colder shorter days and longer nights. Small actions, like turning down your thermostat, replacing old bulbs with LEDs and washing clothes in cold water can help you save.

In keeping with the season, and in observance of the holiday, our office will be closed Thursday, December 24, Friday, December 25, and Friday, January 1st. As always, members will be able to access accounts 24/7 via www.wcec.org. And you can report outages any time via the hotline at 1-866-415-2951, the My WCEC App, or outage texting.