Sunshine State Stats, January 2018
January 2018 was much colder than January 2017. The average low temp for January 2018 was a chilly 46 degrees. The average high this year was only 56 degrees – last year at the same time the average high was 64 degrees. Central Florida residents experienced ten days of lows in the 30s and one day in the 20s, when snow flurries were reported at the Leesburg Airport!
SECO’s residential members consumed, on average, 30 percent more energy in January this year than last year. If your bill for your January usage is 30 percent higher, that’s expected and normal given the cold weather. Heating costs can vary widely depending on your home’s type of heat unit. If your thermostat does not have an “emergency heat” setting, then you likely have electric resistance heat (also known as heat strips). This type of heating costs up to five times more to operate than a heat pump or conventional air conditioning unit.
Even if you didn’t raise your thermostat settings in January, your heating unit ran more frequently to maintain your home’s temperature. This is why it’s important to have your unit serviced annually by a qualified technician.
If your electric bill for your January usage is more than 50 percent higher than last year’s, please contact us using the form online. We can arrange for an Energy Services Specialist to visit your home and conduct a high usage investigation. This service is free to SECO members.
There were 292 heating degree days for January 2018, while last year there were only 116 heating degree days (HDDS). Degree Days are based on how much warmer or cooler the average temperature at a particular location is than 65°F. With nearly three times as many HDDs in January, your heating units will run more frequently to maintain your temperature setting.
Rainfall for January of 2018 was 3.68 inches compared to last January at 3.10 inches. February 2018 is forecast to be similar to last year but wetter than 2017. Visit our website for more information on SECO Energy’s products and services!
