Winter Storms Cora and Enzo chilled temperatures into the 20s in January, meaning North Texans relied heavily on heaters to stay warm and should expect energy usage to increase compared to December.
Winter Storm Cora dumped 2.6 inches of snow on Jan. 9 alone, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), though many areas received more.
Overall, January was a wet month with 5.7 inches of precipitation.
January was 10.7 degrees cooler than December on average. There were eight days with high temperatures below 40 degrees and 20 nights with temperatures below freezing.
| December | January | Difference | |
| Average temperature | 53.7 | 42.9 | 10.8 degrees cooler |
| Cooling Degree Days | 3 | 0 | 3 fewer CDD |
| Heating Degree Days | 345 | 678 | 333 more HDD |
| Utilities and the federal government measure the impact of weather on energy usage by calculating Cooling Degree Days (CDD) and Heating Degree Days (HDD). To calculate the CDD, take the average temperature for a day and subtract it from 65. The higher the number, the more air conditioning will be needed to keep your home comfortable. Click here for more information on calculating CDD. | |||
As the above graph shows, the Heating Degree Days nearly doubled from December to January. That means heater usage will increase by 97%. How much that affects your electric bill depends on the type of heater, how old it is, if it’s been serviced recently and where you set your thermostat, especially during the winter storms.
It's important to remember that if you set your thermostat to 70 degrees when the temperature is in the low 20s, the heater will need to compensate for a nearly 50-degree difference between the inside and outside temperature. Click here to learn more Winter Savings Series tips and how CoServ’s SmartHub empowers Members to track their daily electricity usage.
Looking back at January 2024, the weather was similar temperature-wise. The average temperature was 0.1 degrees cooler this year with the average low only 0.4 degrees different. Energy usage should be similar to the same month last year.
Rates
While the cold weather might cause energy usage to increase, CoServ’s electric rate remains affordable. As an electric cooperative, when we save money on electricity purchases, we pass the savings on to you – another part of the CoServ Advantage.
It’s reflected in the Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF), which we kept at -$0.01 cents per kilowatt-hour for February billing. This is the eighth month in a row CoServ has maintained a negative PCRF, meaning it subtracts pennies off the base rate, saving Members money.
Click here to learn more about how your CoServ rate is calculated.
