July 31, 2013

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I don't really know how hot it was yesterday. I just know it was hot — as it always is here in summer.

I also know what the weather forecast says — triple digits today through Saturday, and nighttime lows that barely go below 80° — usually right around daybreak.

This morning's meter reading is 10497. Yesterday's reading was 10474 so consumption in the last 24 hours was 23 kWh. That's a modest drop, about 2%, compared to the previous 24 hours.

And it is a whopping 41% drop compared to this day in 2012.

July 30, 2013

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The temperature was 93° (heat index 99°) shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday. That was still a few degrees short of the anticipated high, and I can only assume we made it. I didn't have the heart to check the conditions again.

This is a depressing time of the year. You want to keep your electricity consumption down, but, at some point, you just can't stand to feel hot and sweaty in your home and you give in and bring the setting down a degree or two.

And that does produce some momentary gratification, but all I can think is it must be similar to what gamblers experience when they're feeding coins into a slot machine. You feel good when those reels are spinning, but then they stop and you have to pay more to have that feeling again — and unless you get a payoff, it's always a temporary feeling.

This morning's meter reading is 10474. Yesterday's reading was between 10450 and 10451 so consumption in the last 24 hours was 23½ kWh. That is actually a drop of almost 15% from the day before.

And it is nearly 40% lower than my consumption on this day last year.

July 29, 2013

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Yesterday was warmer than the day before. Not a lot warmer, but warmer nevertheless.

That is, essentially, the forecast for the next seven days — gradually warmer until, by the weekend, triple digits are anticipated.

Well, that could still change. This is Texas, and it is always risky to predict what the weather will be like here seven days from now.

But it's usually a safe bet that it's going to be hot here in the summer.

And, as I say, it was hot yesterday.

This morning's meter reading is between 10450 and 10451. Yesterday's reading was 10423 so my consumption in the last 24 hours was 27½ kWh. That is an increase of 10% over the previous 24 hours.

However, it is nearly 38% lower than my consumption on this date last year.

July 28, 2013

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Perhaps naively, I hoped that the air conditioning wouldn't kick on at all yesterday.

But, of course, it did. This is July, you know.

But it was nearly 2:30 in the afternoon — when it was close to 90° — before it came ond — and then not for very long. And it didn't seem to come on as frequently yesterday as it has in previous days.

So I expected my electricity consumption to drop. I was hoping it would drop into the teens.

But, in fact, it went up a little.

This morning's meter reading is 10423. Yesterday's reading was 10398 so consumption was 25 kWh. That's an increase of 1½ kWh — a little more than 6% — over the previous 24 hours.

But it's a decrease of nearly 29% compared to this day in 2012.

July 27, 2013

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Yesterday morning, it looked like we might be in for a relatively mild day. Temperatures were in the upper 70s until around noon or so.

By late afternoon, though, summer had seized the day. Literally. Around 4 p.m., the temperature was 94°, and the heat index was 99°.

Maybe it got warmer after that. I don't know. But it does appear that my electricity consumption went down.

This morning's meter reading is 10398. Yesterday's was between 10374 and 10375. That means my usage was 23½ kWh — a drop of more than 20% compared to the previous 24 hours. And, with a forecast high of 90° today, I'm hoping for another decline in the next 24 hours — if not the next 48.

Even better, my consumption went down nearly 33% compared to this day last year.

July 26, 2013

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I knew we were in for a scorcher yesterday when the temperature was 93° and the heat index was 101° before 2 p.m.

This morning's meter reading — between 10374 and 10375 — confirms it. Yesterday's reading was 10345 so my consumption was 29½ kWh. That's an increase of 18% over the previous 24 hours.

Compared to this time last year, though, it is a decrease of more than 14%.

July 25, 2013

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It can be exhausting trying to keep up with the weather forecasts around here.

Even in summer, when it seems that only one forecast — HOT! — is likely, even possible.

Take yesterday, for example. When I got up, the forecast called for triple digits and, at best, a slight chance for rain. But it was unexpectedly mild — although humid — when I went out to go to school. Once I was at school, my students told me the forecast was calling for highs around 90° and a 50% chance of rain, and I dared to hope we might have another useasonably mild July day.

And, in fact, when I left school shortly before noon, it did feel rather pleasant outside — warm but pleasant — for this time of year.

However, by mid–afternoon, the temperature was 96° and the heat index was 99°. It may have gone up after that. I don't know.

But when I checked my meter this morning, the reading was 10345. Yesterday's reading was 10320 so consumption in the last 24 hours was 25 kWh. That' a drop of 3 kWh from the previous 24 hours — or 12%.

Even better, it is a drop of nearly 30% compared to my usage on this date a year ago.