January 7, 2014

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They say the cold snap we're experiencing is the worst to strike America in a couple of decades.

I know it is the worst I have seen in many years.

Here in Dallas, we've had lows in the teens the last couple of nights, and the highs on Sunday and Monday were colder than usual around here.

Today's temperature (and tomorrow's as well) should be in the upper 40s, then 50s are expected on Thursday — followed by 60s this weekend and into next week. So it looks like our experience with the extreme cold will be brief — much briefer than for those north of us.

But the last 24 hours took their toll on my electricity consumption. It was even higher today than it was yesterday — but only by 3% this time.

Today's meter reading is 13890. Yesterday's reading was between 13820 and 13821. My consumption was 69½ kWh.

That's more than three times as much electricity as I consumed on this date in 2013.

January 6, 2014

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The cold front that came through night before last held the area in its icy grip yesterday.

The temperature did warm into the mid–30s in the afternoon, but last night's low was expected to be in the teens. Clearly, it made it. The temperature was 16° when I got up this morning.

Just keeping my apartment minimally warm uses ungodly amounts of electricity.

This morning's meter reading is between 13820 and 13821. Yesterday's reading was 13753. My consumption in the last 24 hours has been 67½ kWh. That must be a record in the nearly two years that I have been doing this. That is more than four times my usage in the previous 24 hours.

And it is nearly three times my usage on this date in 2013.

January 5, 2014

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I'm going to wish for more yesterdays a lot this week, I think.

The temperature got close to 70° yesterday afternoon. It was windy, but it was pleasant.

Overnight, the temperature plummeted to around 30°, if not lower. It should be much lower than that over the next few nights, and forecasters aren't even talking about temps of 50° during the day until Wednesday at the earliest.

In the interim, we've been told to expect highs in the 30s and lows in the teens. Could be worse, as Marty Feldman said in "Young Frankenstein." Could be raining.

Or I could be in Green Bay today, where the wind chill is expected to be around –50.

This morning's meter reading is 13753. Yesterday's reading was between 13737 and 13738 so my consumption in the last 24 hours was 15½ kWh (my guess, based on the forecast, is that it will be about three times that for the next few days).

That's nearly 47% lower than my consumption in the previous 24 hours, and it is 35% lower than my consumption on this date last year.

January 4, 2014

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Yesterday was a bit warmer. Temperature probably got into the low 50s by mid– to late afternoon. It was a little warmer last night, too — upper 30s perhaps.

Today is supposed to be in the 60s, then the cold weather returns with a vengeance — and my apartment has no hot water.

This morning's meter reading is between 13737 and 13738. Yesterday's reading was between 13708 and 13709 so consumption was 29 kWh. That's a drop of nearly 41% in the last 24 hours, but it is nearly 7% higher than this date in 2013.

January 3, 2014

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Yesterday was much colder than the day before. The daytime high might have reached the mid–40s briefly, and it has been in the 20s the last couple of nights.

A modest warming is expected today and tomorrow, then it's supposed to get really cold around here — 30s during the day, low 20s at night.

Consumption has gone up considerably in the last 24 hours.

This morning's meter reading is between 13708 and 13709. Yesterday's reading was 13658. That means my consumption was 50½ kWh. That's more than double my consumption of 24 hours ago, but, because conditions a year ago were nearly the same, it is only about a 5% increase over this date in 2013.

January 2, 2014

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Yesterday's temperature made it all the way to 70° — but then it dipped into the 20s last night, and much colder temperatures appear to be in our immediate future.

This morning's meter reading is 13658. Yesterday's reading was between 13636 and 13637 so my consumption in the last 24 hours was 21½ kWh. That is a drop of nearly 46% compared to the previous 24 hours, and it is 53% lower than this date last year.

It will be worse in the next few days, though. I'm bracing myself for higher electricity consumption.

January 1, 2014

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The last day of the year was mild — not quite warm, not quite cold. The temperature was probably in the mid–50s, and last night's low was in the 30s.

This morning's meter reading was between 13636 and 13637. Yesterday's reading was 13597 so consumption was 39½ kWh. That's a drop of nearly 6% in the last 24 hours.

But it is more than 50% higher than my consumption on this day a year ago.