March 7, 2014

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I spent most of the day in the newsroom so I don't know what the high temperature was, but I do know it got to 55°. I checked conditions online.

Last night's low was supposed to be in the upper 30s. It was 44° when I got up.

Today's forecast calls for a high of 68°, and tonight's low is supposed to be 48°. Given the recent pattern, I am hopeful the temperatures will be warmer than anticipated.

This morning's meter reading is 15431. Yesterday's reading was 15408 so my consumption was 23 kWh. That is more than 36% lower than my consumption in the previous 24 hours.

But it is still nearly four times my consumption on this date in 2013.

March 6, 2014

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Yesterday's forecast called for a high in the low 50s, but, when I left campus around 5 p.m., the radio reported a temperature of 55°.

Last night's low was supposed to be around 34°. It may not have made it. The temperature was 41° when I got up this morning.

My daily electricity consumption continued to fall.

This morning's meter reading is 15408. Yesterday's reading was 15372. Consumption in the last 24 hours was 36 kWh — a drop of more than 12% compared to the previous 24 hours.

But it is about seven times higher than my consumption level of a year ago.

March 5, 2014

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Each day since the ice storm last weekend, we seem to exceed the high temperature that has been predicted.

Yesterday, for example, the forecast called for a high around 46° or 47°. I don't know what the actual high temperature was. I was in the newsroom all afternoon again. But when I was driving home around 5 p.m., the radio reported that the temperature was 49°. For all I know, it reached 50°, maybe higher.

Last night's low was supposed to be around freezing. It was a little warmer than that when I got up (35°).

So I am hopeful that the temperature today will exceed the predicted high of 51°.

This morning's meter reading is 15372. Yesterday's reading was 15331 so my consumption in the last 24 hours was 41 kWh — which is still much higher than I'd like but definitely better than it's been the last couple of days. It represents a drop of nearly 41% in my consumption compared to the previous 24 hours.

But it is five times higher than my consumption on this date a year ago (when the all–time high temperature for the date fell).

March 4, 2014

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Yesterday was milder than the day before. The temperature managed to get above freezing, and the sky was sunny.

It wasn't as cold last night as it was the night before, either, but it was still cold. When I got up this morning, the temperature was in the 20s.

Today's high is predicted to be in the mid–40s. Tonight's low is expected to be in the low 30s — all of which is better than it has been lately, but not quite what Texans expect at this time of the year.

This morning's meter reading is 15331. Yesterday's reading was 15262. My consumption was 69 kWh — still higher than I like to see, but nearly 35% lower than the previous 24 hours. It is, however, more than eight times my consumption of a year ago.

March 3, 2014

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It got colder with each passing hour yesterday, spending most of the daylight hours in the 20s. Occasionally, we had freezing rain, which could be heard pelting against the windows like handfuls of pebbles.

By mid–afternoon, the temperature had plummeted to the mid–20s with a wind chill of 10°. The overnight low was supposed to be 12° with a wind chill between –3° and 7°.

It should be no surprise that the heat ran almost constantly last night. I expected to find a huge rate of consumption when I checked the meter this morning. After all, it was 18° when I got up.

All I can say is, I am so ready for this winter to be over.

This morning's meter reading is 12262. Yesterday's reading was 15156. That is the first triple–digit consumption in a 24–hour period that I have recorded in nearly two years of monitoring my meter.

The weather is supposed to be gradually warmer each day this week.

March 2, 2014

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I spent most of yesterday indoors at an all–day workshop/seminar on campus. The forecast called for a high in the low 80s; maybe it got that warm. I don't know, but, if it didn't, it got close. It was 78° when I left campus, according to the radio.

This springlike interlude apparently will be short. The forecast for last night called for a low of around 39°, then today's high is supposed to be 43°. Today's high remains to be seen.

The temperature was 31° when I got up this morning, but that was later than usual because I overslept on this Sunday morning. Even so, I honestly don't think the heat came on last night.

The downstairs unit is empty now, I think, and the only reason I can come up with for the heat not coming on last night is that the apartment must have accumulated a lot of warmth yesterday.

That must be what happened — because my electricity consumption was in single digits.

This morning's meter reading is 15156. Yesterday's reading was 15149 so my consumption was 7 kWh — and that was in roughly 27 hours because I checked my meter nearly three hours later today than I did yesterday. That's a drop of more than 39% in a 24–, no make that a 27–hour period. And it is a drop of more than 12% compared to this date in 2013.

March 1, 2014

I was in the newsroom all afternoon yesterday so I don't know how warm it was. But I checked noaa.gov late in the afternoon, and it reported that the temperature was 80°.

Today's forecast calls for a high of 82°, but then things are expected to change. After today, daytime highs are predicted to be in the low 50s — at best — until the end of next week.

Last night's low was supposed to be in the low 50s. It was 52° when I got up this morning so that prediction came true. It will be colder at night for the next few days as well — with freezing rain back in the forecast.

This morning's meter reading is 15149. Yesterday's reading was between 15137 and 15138. I didn't quite get below double digits, but I came close. My consumption in the last 24 hours was 11½ kWh. That's a drop of 63% compared to the previous 24 hours, but it's more than double my consumption level on this date in 2013.