Building lifelong financial relationships one member at a time · Winter 2016 newsletter
10 Cool Ways to Cut Your Energy Bills
this Winter
What’s New at WCFCU?
In partnership with the Winslow Firefighters Association, we
were able to provide a bountiful Christmas to two local families
that needed a little “hand up” for the holiday season. Our
social responsibility committee was very active throughout
2015 with planning and implementing fund raisers to support
Maine Credit Union’s Campaign for Ending Hunger, Maine
Children’s Cancer Program and Special Olympics. You still have
time to take a chance on the raffle for a brand new Husqvarna
snow blower donated by Trailside Performance in Winslow!!
We extend our sincere appreciation to our membership,
community, and business partners for all of the support
provided toward the benefit of such worthy causes.
Energy Saver Loans
We know that Maine winters can be financially difficult for our
members. Again this year, we will extend Energy Saver loans at
low interest rates to qualified borrowers for the pre-purchase of
heating oil, cord wood, or wood pellets. These special loans may
also be used to finance home improvements to make your home
more energy efficient. Our lending staff is ready to help you
adapt the Energy Saver loan to your specific energy assistance
need.
Energy Saver loan rates are subject to risk based scoring
criteria.
Vacation Loans
Dreaming of warm tropical breezes
and sunshine as you shovel another
foot of snow from your driveway? A
vacation loan may be just the ticket
to get you on your way to realizing
that dream. Call and schedule your
appointment to speak with one of our friendly loan officers for
more details.
Vacation loan rates are subject to risk based scoring criteria.
VACATION!
58th Annual Meeting
Each year, Winslow Community FCU hosts an Annual Meeting
to celebrate our successes from the past year, discuss plans for
the future and conduct elections for our Supervisory Committee
and Board of Directors. Our 58th Annual Meeting will be held
on Thursday, March 17 beginning at 6 PM. Please mark your
calendars and plan to attend. Open for this year’s elections
is one seat on our Board of Directors and also one on our
Supervisory Committee. Should you be interested in serving as
a credit union volunteer, please contact Credit Union President,
Cathy Bond for more information.
Take a second and LIKE us on facebook!
If you wince when oil, gas, and electric bills land in the mailbox during
what utilities cheerfully call the “heating season,” you’ve probably tried
such basic cost-cutting moves as wearing a sweater in the house and
turning down the thermostat when you leave.
Luckily, it doesn’t take an energy technician to find more ways you can
save kilowatt-hours or gallons of heating oil. Try these low-tech tips:
1. The $1 draft test. If you can insert a dollar bill around windows or
doors, that’s enough space for heat to escape. Drafts can waste 5% to
30% of your energy dollar, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Seal up these air gaps with caulking or insulating strips, or staple plastic
sheeting over windows. Block under-door drafts with a “draft snake”
filled with sand or kitty litter.
2. The garbage bag moisture test. A clammy basement makes the
whole house feel colder. Duct tape a garbage bag to the basement floor
for 24 hours. If the bag’s outline is visible when you remove it, water is
wicking in from outside the foundation. See if clogged gutters or missing
downspouts are letting rainwater soak the soil next to your cellar walls.
3. The purple Kool-Aid® toilet test. A leaky toilet makes your water
pump work harder, running up your electric bill and using unnecessary
water. To see if you have a leak, pour unsweetened grape Kool-Aid in the
toilet tank and wait a few minutes. If the water in the bowl turns purple
without flushing, you probably need to replace the seals in the tank.
4. The range hood scrub. Give the fan over your kitchen range a new
lease on life by cleaning the yucky filter. To get rid of the grease and
grime, pop the filter into your automatic dishwasher.
5. The annual furnace physical. Some utility companies will clean and
inspect your furnace for free, or the cleaning and inspection may be part
of an annual maintenance contract. During cold weather, disposable
filters for forced-air furnaces should be replaced every month. Since
disposables reportedly trap only 10% to 40% of contaminants, you might
consider replacing them with a genuine HEPA filter, designed to remove
99.97% of mold, bacteria, viruses, and pollen.
6. The reverse-fan blowdown. Warm air rises. To push it back down
where it can keep you cozier, run your ceiling fan in reverse (clockwise).
7. The radiator warmup. If your hot-water pipes are getting chilled in a
cold cellar, the boiler has to burn more kilowatts to keep your radiators
warm (and keep hot water on hand when you turn on the faucet). You
can install pipe insulation yourself. Bonus: You may be able to turn your
water heater down from the standard setting of 140 degrees.
8. The power turnoff. Your dad was right: turning off lights when you
leave a room really can save money. (Lighting makes up an estimated
11% of the average home’s energy bill.) Turn off entertainment centers
and computers at night, too. Even in sleep mode they can drain
electricity.
9. The line-dry. The clothes dryer is probably your home’s biggest
energy hog. If possible, line-dry your laundry outdoors. In the winter,
continued on back
Building lifelong financial relationships one member at a time
Upcoming
Holiday Schedule
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, January 15
Presidents’ Day
Monday, February 15
Patriot’s Day
Monday, April 18
Independence Day
Monday, July 4
Reminder
After one year of inactivity, your
credit union account will incur a $2.00
monthly dormant fee for each month
without activity. Please make at least
one deposit or withdrawal each year
to keep your account active. This
does not apply to accounts that
are attached to an open loan or
Visa Credit Card, or to those that
are transacted on regularly.
Board of Directors
Kimberly Carey. . . . . . . . . . Chairperson
Paula Pooler. . . . . . . . . Vice Chairperson
Robyn Loubier. . . . . Secretary/Treasurer
Richard Grindall . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director
William Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director
Joshua Carter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director
Supervisory Committee
Jane Quirion. . . . . . . . . . . . . Chairperson
Noella Pelletier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Member
Patricia Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Member
Office Staff
Cathy Bond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President
Lynn Stratton. . . . . . . . . . . Vice President/
Loan Officer
Carrie Bronson. . . . . . . . . . . . . Head Teller/
Member Service Supervisor
Kenneth Clark. . . . . . . . . . . . . Loan Officer
Sharon Nadeau . . . . . . . Asst. Bookkeeper/
Card Services
Teaen Davis . . . . . . . . . . Asst. Bookkeeper/
Card Services
Heather Crowley. . . . . . . Debt Resolution
Specialist
June York. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teller
Abigail Damren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teller
Jane Hinkel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teller
Robin Smith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teller
Kathy Rines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teller
Federally Insured by NCUA
New Chip-and-Signature Cards
Help Foil Card Counterfeiters
You may have received in the mail (or will soon) a new credit
card that looks much like your old one, except for a small silver
square on the left front. The square is an embossed microchip,
and it features a new technology designed to reduce fraud at
merchant locations.
How do I use it?
Thousands of merchants around the U.S. are installing new
payment terminals to accommodate chip-equipped cards. When you’re ready to pay, instead of
swiping your card, just insert the end of it into the terminal, chip side up. Leave it there while you
follow the on-screen prompts. Lastly, you’ll sign a payment slip to complete the transaction.
Why the new cards?
Although your new chip card also has a magnetic stripe for use at older terminals, the fact is that
“mag stripe” technology is easy to hack. Armed with real account information stolen in a previous
data breach, thieves program this data into the stripe on a counterfeit card. They then go on a
shopping spree, buying merchandise that’s charged to the identity theft victim’s credit card account.
The thieves line their pockets by reselling this merchandise on the black market. The card-issuing
bank pays for the loss, not the merchant or the real accountholder.
With the new card, the microchip authenticates the card and generates a unique encrypted code with
each transaction. It’s much more secure than a magnetic stripe.
You’ll be seeing more chip card-enabled in 2016. By then, merchants who haven’t converted to accept
chip-based payments will start to be liable for any fraud committed with a chip card. (Gas stations
have until 2017 to upgrade their pumps.) Full transition to the new chip-based standard may take a
few years.
Is the technology proven?
Chip cards have been used for years throughout Europe. In fact, the technology behind the chips is
called the EMV standard – short for EuroPay, MasterCard, and Visa.
What does it mean for me?
Your consumer protections stay the same. As before, you’re not liable for a fraudulent transaction,
provided you notify the card issuer as soon as you become aware of it. A few more tips:
• If the merchant doesn’t provide a chip-enabled terminal, be prepared to “swipe your stripe” just as you’ve always done.
• You can also use your chip-based card to make purchases and payments online or by phone, as always. Credit cards still aren’t accepted in ATMs unless they’ve been issued a PIN (often available on request).
• The most important thing you can do is to keep your card data secure. Check your monthly
statement for suspicious activity, and shred statements and receipts you don’t need.
As this last tip suggests, it’s too early to relax your vigilance. Chip cards promise to be valuable fraud
fighters at merchant stores and offices in what we call “card present” transactions. The next challenge
will be bringing stronger technology to “card not present” purchases in the online universe.
At Winslow Community FCU, we’ll continue to stay on top of developments that help us protect our
members’ accounts. Today’s chip cards, we believe, are an important step into a more secure future.
10 Cool Ways continued from front
use drying racks indoors for line-drying. If you like the extra fluffiness of tumble-dried clothes or
bedding, toss them in the dryer when they are near dry for a few final minutes.
10. The chimney stopper. Fireplace flues are notorious for sucking heat from a house. Close the
damper and hold a lit incense stick under it. If the smoke goes up, you have an air leak. Can’t adjust
the damper? Cut a sheet of plywood to the right size and shape and place it against the fireplace
opening as a draft-stopper. Paint or decorate it as you like.
Need a little incentive to make a bigger improvement? Through Efficiency Maine, you can receive
up to $2,000 for qualifying energy upgrades to your home’s insulation or heating system. For details,
visit www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/home-energy-savings-program/.
Sources:
www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/save-money/fall-home-maintenance-checklist
www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/winterize-home-tips-energy-461008