September 14, 2013

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Yesterday was another long day in the newsroom for me. I know it was hot when I went up to school at 12:30, and it was still warm, although the sky was dark, when I left the newsroom at 8 p.m.

It wasn't supposed to be in triple digits, but it might have been. However, my electricity consumption in the last 24 hours suggests that was not the case.

This morning's meter reading is 11685. Yesterday's meter reading was 11666 so consumption in the last 24 hours was 19 kWh. That's nearly 14% lower than the previous 24 hours.

But that persistent cool front this area was enjoying a year ago means that my consumption, as low as it was compared to recent figures, was about 36% higher than this date in 2012.

September 13, 2013

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Once again, I spent a lot of time on campus yesterday so I have no idea what the temperature was like outside for much of the day.

I do know it was hot again, probably not in triple digits — but still hot. There is a glimmer of hope in the forecast. Nighttime lows are supposed to drop to around 70° tonight and tomorrow, and daytime highs are expected to be in the low 90s (if not upper 80s) through the next seven days.

This morning's meter reading is 11666. Yesterday's reading was 11644 so consumption was 22 kWh. That's a drop of 12% in the last 24 hours.

But that cool front was still with us a year ago today so my consumption is nearly 47% higher than it was on this date in 2012.

September 12, 2013

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Yesterday morning, it appeared as if the forecast of 97° for a high temperature would come to pass.

By mid–morning, the temperature was 86° (heat index was 90°).

Beyond that I don't honestly know. I spent a portion of yesterday afternoon in the newsroom. I know it was warm, bordering on hot, when I went to school. It was hot but not triple–digit hot when I left.

This morning's meter reading is 11644. Yesterday's reading was 11619 so consumption was 25 kWh. That's a 19% increase over the previous 24 hours.

And it is a 67% increase over this day in 2012.

September 11, 2001

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At 3 p.m. yesterday, the temperature was 94°. Obviously, that is hot, but it isn't as hot as it has been, and I felt I had good reason to expect my electricity consumption to go down.

That was going to be a neat trick if it panned out. My consumption in the previous 24 hours was 23 kWh.

As it turned out, my consumption did go down.

This morning's meter reading is 11619. Yesterday's reading was 11598. My consumption in the last 24 hours was 21 kWh, a drop of nearly 9%.

But, thanks to that persistent cool snap the area was enjoying last year, my consumption is 5% higher than it was on this day in 2012.

September 10, 2013

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Summer weather seems to be slowly receding.

Daytime temperatures have been hot of late — but not as hot as they have been — and nighttime lows have consistently been in the 70s.

Once again, I do not think that the temperature reached triple digits. It probably got close — like within a degree or two — but it didn't actually hit 100° and I was hopeful, when I went out to check my meter this morning, that my consumption would remain below 30 kWh.

It did.

This morning's meter reading is 11598. Yesterday's reading was 11575 so consumption was 23 kWh. That is a drop of about 13% compared to the previous 24 hours.

However, because of the cool front in this area on this date last year, it is about 21% higher than it was a year ago.

September 9, 2013

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You know, it seems redundant — not to mention unnecessary — to mention that it is hot around here at this time of the year — except on those rare occasions when it isn't hot.

We've had a few of those this summer. We always do. But they are few and far between.

It is news around here when it is less hot than we expected, and that seems to be the case with the local weather forecasts.

There is still virtually no chance for rain, but the anticipated high temperatures are not quite as high as they were a few days ago — when forecasters were predicting a stretch of 100° days. Current forecasts now call for highs in the mid– to upper 90s.

In other words, we can expect a week that will be a lot like yesterday — hot but not quite as hot as it has been. The temperature was 96° around 2 o'clock, and it was 98° a couple of hours later.

It may have gone up a degree or two before it started its very gradual cooling down period at the end of the day.

This morning's meter reading is 11575. Yesterday's reading was between 11548 and 11549 so my consumption was 26½ kWh. That's a drop of nearly 12% from my consumption rate of the previous 24 hours.

However, because of a cool front in this area on this day last year, my consumption is nearly 38% higher than it was a year ago.

September 8, 2013

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I spent most of the day indoors yesterday so I don't really know what the temperature was like — first hand, anyway.

But I did monitor conditions on the NOAA website, and the temperature was in the 90s before noon so it is plausible to believe that we got into triple digits. Based on the forecasts for the next week, if we don't get into triple digits, we won't miss by much.

This morning's meter reading is between 11548 and 11549. Yesterday, the reading was between 11518 and 11519 so consumption was 30 kWh. That's a 13% increase over the previous 24 hours. I attribute that to the fact that I was home all day yesterday, and I wasn't home much during the daylight hours on Friday.

I expect my consumption today to be close, if not identical, to yesterday's.

Compared to this day in 2012, my consumption was nearly 14% higher.