August 31, 2013

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I spent practically the entire afternoon in the Richland newsroom yesterday, and it was well after dark when I came home.

I honestly don't know how hot it got. I only know that it was nearly 100° when I left for school, and the radio reported that it was 93° when I was driving home. The forecast said it would be 103°, 104°, 105°, perhaps even worse, and I have no reason to think that it did not reach that level.

More of the same is expected today and probably tomorrow. There is a chance it will drop below triple digits on Labor Day.

Even though I wasn't home yesterday afternoon, I can tell from my meter reading this morning that the air conditioning must have run quite a bit in my absence.

This morning's meter reading is 11307. Yesterday's reading was 11279 so consumption was 28 kWh. That is about 8% higher than yesterday's consumption level.

But it is nearly 13% lower than my consumption on this day in 2012.

August 30, 2013

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I knew we were in for a rough one yesterday when the temperature was in the mid–90s by 11 a.m.

I heard it got up to 105°, and I wouldn't doubt it, but I spent almost the entire afternoon inside at school. I left around 5 p.m. to meet my father for dinner, and I know it was hot then.

In Texas, that is hardly a news flash in August.

This morning's meter reading is 11279. Yesterday's reading was between 11253 and 11254. Consumption was 26 kWh. That's about 21% higher than the day before.

And it is about 19% higher than this date last year.

August 29, 2013

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I don't think the temperature cracked triple digits yesterday, but it came close. Today, it is supposed to race past that barrier to 105° — with more of the same expected on Friday and Saturday, possibly Sunday.

All things considered, my electricity consumption wasn't as bad as it could have been.

This morning's meter reading is between 11253 and 11254. Yesterday's reading was 11233 so consumption was 20½ kWh. That's an increase over the previous 24–hour period, when the daytime high was at least five degrees lower — of nearly 37%.

And it was nearly 7% lower than my consumption a year ago.

August 28, 2013

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The cool front that moved into the area night before last kept temperatures seasonable yesterday — not cool but (noticeably) not as hot.

That isn't expected to last. Temperatures around — and even exceeding — 100° are in the forecast until Labor Day, and nighttime lows are expected to be around 80°.

So I'll have to savor the recent drop in electricity consumption — because, as I say, it isn't expected to last.

This morning's meter reading is 11233. Yesterday's reading was 11218 so consumption was 15 kWh. That's almost 35% lower than my consumption in the previous 24 hours.

And it's nearly 38% lower than this day in 2012.

August 27, 2013

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As we have already seen a few times this summer, nature still has unexpected surprises for us, even when we believe we know what is going to happen.

Forecasts for this week uniformly called for highs around 100° and nighttime lows around 80°. But some sort of a cool front moved through the area in the last 24 hours ("cool" being a relative term). It may have reached 100° briefly yesterday, but it mostly remained in the 90s, and it dropped into the 70s overnight (it was 75° when I got up this morning), and today's forecast now calls for a high of only 93°.

Triple digits are still in the forecast for the rest of the week, but who knows?

Anyway, this morning's meter reading is 11218. Yesterday's reading was 11195 so consumption was 23 kWh in the last 24 hours. That's a drop of nearly 12%.

It is still higher than this date last year — but only by 1 kWh.

August 26, 2013

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I didn't spend much time outdoors yesterday so I don't really have a feeling for how hot it was. I just know it was hot, almost certainly in triple digits. I went out for awhile yesterday morning and it was in the upper 80s, maybe even low 90s, by then.

Anyway, I expected another high–consumption day. But I was in for a bit of a surprise.

Today's meter reading is 11195. Yesterday's reading was 11169 — a consumption rate of 26 kWh. My consumption went down by more than 21% compared to the previous 24 hours.

And it is about 13% lower than this date last year.

August 25, 2013

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We were back in triple digits yesterday. I know that for a fact.

So I expected to see an increase in my electricity consumption, which I did. And the extended forecast strongly suggests we can expect more of the same between now and Labor Day.

This morning's meter reading is 11169. Yesterday's reading was 11136 so consumption was 33 kWh. That's my first 30 kWh day in a couple of weeks, and it's a 20% increase over yesterday's consumption rate.

And it is nearly 38% higher than my consumption level on this day in 2012.

August 24, 2013

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I spent yesterday afternoon in the newsroom so I don't really know how hot it was — firsthand, anyway.

I never really like looking at forecasts at this time of the year. It is unspeakably depressing to see what is in store. It will be more uplifting in about a month, when we have a realistic chance of occasional rain and forecasts for highs in the 80s.)

However, from what I heard from others, I have a pretty strong suspicion that it was at least 100° for a pretty significant part of the afternoon.

Today's meter reading is 11136. Yesterday's reading was between 11108 and 11109 so consumption was 27½ kWh. That's nearly 6% higher than my usage in the previous 24 hours.

However, because this area was still enjoying a cool spell, my consumption is about 71% higher than it was on this date a year ago.

August 23, 2013

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I spent yesterday afternoon in the Richland newsroom, and I spent most of the evening hours attending fall convocation.

I just know it was hot. Could have been 100° or more for awhile.

So I don't know precisely how hot it was. Forecasts called for upper 90s, and it was still in the 90s when I drove home last night. When I got up this morning, the temperature was already in the 80s.

This morning's meter reading is between 11108 and 11109. Yesterday's reading was between 11082 and 11083. Consumption in the last 24 hours was 26 kWh so consumption went up about 40% compared to the previous 24 hours.

And because this area was still experiencing a cool spell at this time last year, my consumption is up by about 62% compared to this date last year.

August 22, 2013

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>hr>I spent the afternoon in the newsroom yesterday so I don't know how high the temperature was until I left around 4:30.

At that time, the radio in my truck reported that the temperature was 95°.

The forecast for the coming week isn't too encouraging. Highs in the mid– to upper 90s, lows in the mid– to upper 70s are expected.

And based on experience, I expect my electricity usage to average in the mid–20s. I've mostlyavoided that level for the last week, but I doubt that I can avoid it much longer.

However, it appears that my absence from my apartment all afternoon — combined with a high setting for my A/C — kept me under 20 kWh for one more day.

This morning's meter reading is between 11082 and 11083. Yesterdays's reading was 11064 so my consumption was 18½ kWh. That's a reduction in usage of nearly 12% from the day before.

But because it was so unseasonably cool around here at this time last year, I used about 68% in the last 24 hours than I did on this day in 2012.

August 21, 2013

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Our brief respite from summer heat appears to be over.

The temperature was in the mid–90s by mid–afternoon yesterday, but the humidity was low so the heat index was actually lower than the air temperature. Upper 90s are expected for the next seven days, but nighttime lows are anticipated each night.

This morning's meter reading is 11064. Yesterday's reading was 11043 so consumption was 21 kWh. That's only ½ kWh higher than the previous 24 hours — or about 2%.

Thanks to a stretch of unseasonably mild weather last year, though, my consumption is up nearly 17% compared to this date in 2012.

August 20, 2013

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It's getting gradually warmer around here.

The temperature was in the 90s before 2 p.m. yesterday, and the forecast called for a high of 94°. Upper 90s are expected for the remainder of the week.

The good news — well, for the short term — is that the nighttime lows are supposed to be in the low to mid–70s. But that, too, probably will change — and not for the better.

Right now, the difference in electricity consumption is minimal. Today's meter reading is 11043. Yesterday's reading was between 11022 and 11023 so my consumption was 20½ kWh. That's about a 5% increase over the previous 24 hours.

And it is nearly 15% below my consumption on this date in 2012.

August 19, 2013

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Once again, I do not know precisely how hot it was yesterday. The temperature was around 90° by 4 in the afternoon, but the humidity was down.

And so, apparently, was my electricity consumption — although I have no idea why unless it really wasn't as hot yesterday as it was the day before.

Today's meter reading is between 11022 and 11023. Yesterday's reading was 11003. My consumption, therefore, was 19½ kWh, which means it went down about 7%.

However, thanks to a cool front in the area last year, it is up nearly 12% compared to this date in 2012.

August 18, 2013

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Yesterday's temperature lingered in the 70s during the morning, then in the 80s in the afternoon.

Forecasters said this part of Dallas could expect a high of 91°. I don't know if it ever made it. By 3 p.m., the temperature was 89° (heat index 88°).

I'm guessing it did get into the 90s — because it got rather warm in my apartment late in the day, and the air conditioning started coming on regularly around 4 in the afternoon.

And my electricity consumption went up — a lot.

This morning's meter reading is 11003. Yesterday's reading was 10982 so consumption went up 21 kWh. That ended my modest streak of sub–20 kWh days at three — and it's a jump of more than 61% in 24 hours!

On the plus side, it was nearly 5% lower than my consumption on this date in 2012.

August 17, 2013

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I spent the entire afternoon in the Richland newsroom yesterday so I don't really know how high the temperature was.

I do know that the latest forecast I saw called for a high of 89°, and I have no real reason to think it didn't reach that. It was in the 70s when I went to school.

And it was probably in the mid–80s when I came home around 7:45. The temperature dropped noticeably after the sun went down.

But I couldn't confirm whether my electricity usage went down or up until I read this morning's meter. And I must say the news was good.

Today's meter reading is 10982. Yesterday's reading was 10969 so consumption was only 13 kWh. That's a drop of nearly 30% compared to the day before, slightly lower compared to this date last year.

August 16, 2013

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I spent most of the afternoon in the Richland newsroom yesterday so I can't say authoritatively if the temperature was cooler all day than it has been.

But I do know that, whenever I was outside, it was cooler than it has been.

Over the next three days, daytime highs are supposed to be in the low 90s, and nighttime lows are supposed to be around 70°. When I got up this morning, the temperature was 69°.

This morning's meter reading is 10969. Yesterday's reading was between 10950 and 10951 so consumption was 18½ kWh. That is an increase of nearly 9% compared to the day before.

Apparently, the weather was mild at this time last year as well, but my consumption in the last 24 hours was down about 7% compared to this day last year.

August 15, 2013

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I honestly don't know what the high temperature was yesterday. I spent most of the afternoon on campus.

It may have gone above 90°. Maybe not. I don't know. The forecast kept changing, but I think the forecasters finally settled on 92°. As I say, I couldn't be certain if it reached that level or not.

What I do know, however, is that it was muggy so humidity must have been fairly high, which would have driven up the heat index — but it definitely was not as hot as it has been.

And, as far as I can tell, the forecasts of lows around 73° last night were accurate. It was actually 75° when I got up this morning so it might have been a degree or two lower at some point last night. All of which led me to expect low electricity consumption when I checked the meter.

I wasn't disappointed.

This morning's meter reading is between 10950 and 10951. Yesterday's reading was between 10933 and 10934, which means consumption was 17 kWh. That is certainly a good reading in the middle of August in Texas. It's also a decline of about 32% compared to the previous 24 hours.

And it's nearly 35% lower than my consumption on this date last year.

August 14, 2013

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By the middle of the afternoon yesterday, we were in triple digits (101°, 105° heat index).

I don't think it stayed in triple digits long. A rainstorm came through the area around 5 p.m., and I'm sure the temperature dropped several degrees. In fact, I'll bet it was in the 70s by 7 p.m.

And, if the forecasters are correct, we may have seen our last triple–digit day — for at least a week. Thanks to yesterday's temperature drop, my electricity consumption went down in the most recent 24 hours, but I'm hoping for better.

The high today and tomorrow is supposed to be only 89°, and the high on Friday is supposed to be 90°.

This morning's meter reading is between 10933 and 10934. Yesterday's meter reading was between 10908 and 10909 so consumption was 25 kWh, a drop of about 12%. And, because this area was in the midst of an unseasonable cool spell on this day in 2012, my consumption is down only about 7% compared to a year ago.

August 13, 2013

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By 3 p.m. yesterday, the temperature was not in triple digits. It was 97° with a heat index of 101°.

Maybe it reached 100°, maybe it didn't. The forecast called for 101°. I didn't check again to see if it did.

It was still warm — about 85° when I got up this morning — but the forecasts still say we can expect low 90s, perhaps even upper 80s tomorrow and the next day.

We'll see.

They may be right. My consumption was below 30 kWh in the last 24 hours.

This morning's meter reading is between 10908 and 10909. Yesterday's reading was 10880. Consumption was 28½ kWh, which is a drop of almost 7%.

Even so, it was slightly higher than my use on this day in 2012. The area was still enjoying unseasonably mild days, and my consumption compared to this day a year ago is higher — by less than 2%.

August 12, 2013

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The humidity was back yesterday. By 2 p.m., the temperature was 100° and the heat index was 104°. A couple of hours later, it was 102° and 105°, respectively.

It's going to stay this way for the next couple of days, so they say, and then we're being told to expect temperatures around 90° by midweek. We'll see.

Anyway, yesterday's meter reading was between 10849 and 10850. This morning's reading is 10880 so consumption was 30½ kWh. That's a decrease of nearly 8% compared to the previous 24 hours.

However, consumption on this day last year apparently was quite low (according to my blog entry, I was completely baffled — but pleased) so my usage went up about 27% compared to 2012.

August 11, 2013

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I didn't really keep track of conditions yesterday. It was hot, probably in triple digits. What else is there to say that I haven't already said several times in the last week or two?

This morning's meter reading is between 10849 and 10850. Yesterday's reading was between 10816 and 10817 so consumption was 33 kWh. That's a 10% increase over the previous 24 hours.

And it is nearly 14% higher than my consumption on this date last year. That has not happened often this summer.

August 10, 2013

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The triple–digit streak must have sucked all the moisture out of the ground — and quite a bit from area lakes and streams, too — because the heat index finally registered lower than the actual temperature yesterday.

The fickle forecasters have been teasing us with the possibility that the temperatures might drop into the 90s (and bring with them nighttime lows in the 70s) — but they keep pushing the line back. At first, they said the 90s would arrive today — but triple digits are now expected today and tomorrow. Now, they say the temperatures might be in the 90s by Monday. We'll see.

Apparently, though, the nighttime low last night dipped below 80° for the first time in more than a week.

This morning's meter reading is between 10816 and 10817. Yesterday's reading was between 10786 and 10787. Consumption was 30 kWh in the last 24 hours. It actually dropped about 3% compared to the 24 hours before that.

And it's a drop of more than 14% compared to this date last year.

August 9, 2013

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Yesterday was another triple–digit day. I didn't bother to check the actual conditions, other than a bank clock I passed on my way to meet Dad for dinner last night.

And it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.

This morning's meter reading is between 10786 and 10787. Yesterday's reading was between 10755 and 10756 so consumption was 31 kWh. That's a modest decrease — about 3% — from the day before.

However, thanks to a rain storm that drove temperatures way down on this date a year ago, today's consumption is, by comparison, an increase of about 64%!

August 8, 2013

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Yesterday was brutally hot, even by Texas standards. I only checked the weather conditions once late in the afternoon, and the temperature was 106°.

We got little, if any, relief last night. When I got up this morning shortly before 6 a.m., the temperature was 84°.

If the forecasts are accurate, daytime highs will be back in the 90s in a couple of days — and may even drop into the mid–90s by Tuesday — but triple digits are on the immediate horizon.

This morning's meter reading is between 10755 and 10756. Yesterday's reading was between 10723 and 10724 so my consumption in the last 24 hours has been 32 kWh, an increase of just under 7% compared to the previous 24 hours.

But it is a decrease of almost 9% compared to this date in 2012.

August 7, 2013

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I knew yesterday was going to be a scorcher when I checked the weather conditions before 2 p.m. The temperature was 103°, and the heat index was 106°.

And we hadn't even reached the hottest part of the day.

I didn't bother to check the conditions again until this morning when I got up. It was 85° before 6 a.m.

Somehow, though, my electricity consumption went down.

This morning's meter reading is between 10723 and 10724. Yesterday's reading was between 10693 and 10694. Consumption in the last 24 hours was 30 kWh, which is a decrease of about 6% compared to the previous 24 hours.

It was exactly the same as my consumption on this date last year.

August 6, 2013

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It was in triple digits by the middle of the afternoon yesterday, which I have come to realize means 30 kWh or more no matter what I do.

For example, this morning's meter reading is between 10693 and 10694. Yesterday's reading was between 10661 and 10662. I did everything I could think of to keep my electricity usage down, but consumption was 32 kWh. That is a drop in consumption compared to the previous 24 hours — but only about 7%.

But it's a drop of almost 24% compared to this date last year.

August 5, 2013

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Forecasters insisted that we would just barely make it to 100° yesterday.

But it was already 99° by 2 p.m., and I assume we cracked triple digits again. The humidity isn't as high as it was — I assume that means these triple–digit days we've been having have sucked most of the moisture out of the ground.

There's still some moisture in the ground, though — the grass is green (as opposed to the scorched–earth color it usually takes on by this point in the year) — but the heat indices have been dropping.

They call this a "dry" heat, I guess, but isn't that what they say about the heat in ovens?

This morning's meter reading is between 10661 and 10662. Yesterday's meter reading was 10627 so my electricity consumption in the last 24 hours has been 34½ kWh. That's an increase of about 4½% over the previous 24 hours, and it is a little more than 1% below my consumption on this date last year.

August 4, 2013

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It was 95° (heat index 99°) before noon yesterday. By 2 p.m. it was 99° (heat index 102°). The forecast called for 104°. We probably made it.

I suppose I should get it through my head that it's going to be this way for at least another week.

This morning's meter reading is 10627, and yesterday's reading was 10594. Consumption in the last 24 hours was 33 kWh, an increase of 10% over the previous 24 hours.

I guess it all balances out, though. My consumption in the last 24 hours is nearly 11% lower than this date in 2012.

August 3, 2013

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It wasn't as humid yesterday as it has been, but it was still hot — 103° shortly before 4 p.m.

Not as humid but just as hot.

The forecasts now are saying this triple–digit streak will continue through the week at least &,dash; with lows in the low 80s.

Somehow, though, I kept my electricity below yesterday's level. Today's meter reading is 10594. Yesterday's reading was 10564 so consumption was 30 kWh — a drop of nearly 19%.

And it is nearly 12% lower than my consumption on this date in 2012.

August 2, 2013

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I guess we've been pretty lucky this summer.

We've had our hot spells, but we have also had some astonishingly cool days, too.

But that seems to be at an end. We are in the grip of an unrelenting heat wave that apparently will be with us indefinitely.

Yesterday morning, the temperature was 93° and the heat index was 100° before 11 a.m. Two hours later it was 95° (101° heat index).

An hour after that it was 101° (heat index 108°).

There really is no glimmer of hope in the week ahead. Days for which the forecast does not call for triple digits will only miss it by a single degree — if the forecasts are accurate.

And they've been deadly accurate lately.

Try as I might, I simply could not keep the air conditioning from running. There were times when I felt I was broiling. And my energy consumption shows it.

This morning's meter reading is 10564. Yesterday's reading was 10527 so consumption was 37 kWh. That's more than 23% higher than yesterday's consumption.

But it was still nearly 10% lower than my consumption at this time last year.

August 1, 2013

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Yesterday was touted as the first day of what is expected to be a four–day stretch of triple–digit days.

Here in North Dallas, there has been some doubt whether the temperature would reach 100° on Friday or Saturday, but the forecasters agreed that temperatures yesterday and today definitely would be at least 100°.

We were well on our way by noon yesterday. The temperature was 93°. Ultimately, the forecasters said, our temperature (in Dallas, that is — possibly a degree or two cooler where I live) was expected to reach 101° (heat index 107°).

By 5 p.m., the temperature was 104° (heat index 110°).

It finally dipped below 100° after sunset, but it was still in the 90s when I went to bed — and it was 85° when I got up this morning.

In spite of all that, my usage wasn't as bad as I feared.

This morning's meter reading is 10527. Yesterday's reading was 10497 so consumption was 30 kWh. I figured consumption would be more than 30 kWh so being right on the nose like that feels pretty good. It is a hefty increase over the day before — about 30% — but it is actually a drop of 14% compared to this day last year — which, according to my blog post, had nearly identical weather.