January 31, 2013

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I think the temperature never got into the 60s yesterday, and it plunged into the low 40s, possibly upper 30s last night so I was expecting an increase in my electricity consumption when I checked my meter this morning.

Well, that is what I was expecting. But I was surprised.

See today's meter reading (8135) suggests that there was no increase in my electricity usage. It was the same as it has been the last few days. My meter reading yesterday was 8128 so I used 7 kWh.

The reading the day before that was 8121. The day before that, the meter reading was 8114.

See the pattern?

I really do expect usage to go up in the next 24 hours, though. Forecasters say tonight's low will be around 35°.

January 30, 2013

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As predicted, the cool front arrived in the area overnight.

It was in the 40s when I got up this morning around 6 a.m. — but I'm sure that the strong wind that has been blowing this morning has been making it feel like it is in the 30s.

The last forecast I saw said the high today would be 53° — that would be nearly 30° lower than the highs we've been having around here.

Maybe then I will find out if my new downstairs neighbors are having any effect on my electricity consumption.

Judging from the last 24 hours, I don't know. My consumption remained the same as it has been for the last few days. Precisely the same.

Today's meter reading is 8128. Yesterday's reading was 8121 so my consumption was 7 kWh. Monday's reading was 8114 — again, consumption was 7 kWh. Sunday's reading was 8107. Once again, consumption was 7 kWh.

It was actually a little lower from Saturday to Sunday. Saturday morning's reading was 8101.

January 29, 2013

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Yesterday was another mild day, and my electricity consumption was about the same as it has been the last few days.

Rain is in the forecast today, and the rain is expected to be followed by a cold front.

Consequently, whereas last night's lows were in the upper 60s — or even lower 70s — and the daytime highs have been in the upper 70s, possibly the lower 80s, we can expect nighttime lows in the 40s starting tonight and daytime highs in the 50s starting tomorrow.

The cooler weather is expected to be replaced by warmer weather by the weekend.

Anyway, today's meter reading is 8121. Yesterday's reading was 8114 so consumption in the last 24 hours was 7 kWh. The meter reading on Sunday was 8107 so consumption for that 24–hour period was 7 kWh as well.

Consumption was lower for Saturday–Sunday. My meter reading on Saturday was 8101. It was even lower for Friday–Saturday. The meter reading on Friday was 8097.

I might be concerned about an increase in my electricity consumption with the temperatures expected to fall, but I have a new neighbor living downstairs now. Hopefully, I will benefit from the heat from that apartment for the rest of the winter.

January 28, 2013

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Yesterday was another mild day — cooler than it was earlier in the week but not cold — and mostly gray.

I kept my electricity consumption in single digits. Today's meter reading is 8114. Yeserday it was 8107 so my consumption was 7 kWh.

That's about the same as my consumption the day before. Saturday's meter reading was 8101.

Today and tomorrow, we're expecting temperatures in the mid– to upper 70s, with a low tonight around 66°. A cool front is supposed to move through the area tomorrow night, but things will warm up again as we approach the weekend.

January 27, 2013

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Yesterday was another mild day, and my electric meter reflects that.

Today's reading is 8107. Yesterday's reading was 8101 so my consumption was 6 kWh.

That's really good, but it does actually represent about a one–third increase in electricity consumption. My meter reading on Friday was 8097.

January 26, 2013

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Yesterday was cooler than the preceding days, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

The apartment below me is still unoccupied, but I think there have been people working down there, cleaning the place to get it ready to show prospective renters, and they might have run the A/C a few days ago — and perhaps the heat yesterday.

I don't really know.

But I'm quite sure my heat hasn't been running at all in recent days.

Anyway, my daily electricity consumption has been dropping, and I was afraid that trend might reverse itself last night because forecasts called for lower 40s.

But the decline continues.

This morning's meter reading is 8101. Since yesterday's reading was 8097, my consumption was only 4 kWh. That represents a decline of nearly 50% over the previous 24–hour period (my reading on Thursday was 8090).

I'm not really sure how I accomplished that. I was on campus for about eight hours yesterday, but that's been fairly standard all through the first week of classes, and my consumption habits were pretty consistent.

January 25, 2013

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I've been told that the temperature yesterday flirted with 80°.

I have no firsthand experience. I was indoors much of the day. I had back–to–back classes, then I spent about three hours in the newsroom. In short, after I got to school, I didn't go back outside for about six or seven hours.

What I do know is that it was rather warm (60s) when I went to school and it was warm (70s) when I left the building I had been in. It might very well have reached 80° at some point.

Anyway, my electricity consumption apparently dropped. This morning's meter reading is 8097. Yesterday's reading was 8090 so my consumption in the last 24 hours was a mere 7 kWh.

The reading on Wednesday was between 8081 and 8082; thus, my consumption in the previous 24 hours was 8½ kWh.

I know my usage decline in the last 24 hours was only 1½ kWh. But that's nearly 20%!

I'll take it, especially after some of the days we had during the Christmas break.