Degree-Days

Degree-days are found in the lower left corner of your Sheffield Utilities' bill.

Heating and cooling degree-days indicate the amount of energy used by a typical household to heat or cool a space. The average building needs to maintain a 70-degree indoor temperature to remain comfortable. In order to maintain this indoor temperature the heating unit will have to use more energy when the outside temperature is 65-degrees Fahrenheit or less. Vice versa, the air conditioning unit will have to use more energy when the outside temperature is greater than 65-degrees Fahrenheit.

Calculating Degree-Days

In order to calculate a degree-day, you must first know the high and low temperatures for that day. Next, you will take an average of the two temperatures. If average temperature is 65-degrees Fahrenheit or more, you should subtract 65 from the average daily temperature. If the average temperature is less than 65-degrees Fahrenheit, you should subtract the average daily temperature from 65.

Example:

High Daily Temperature: 90
Low Daily Temperature: 68
Average Daily Temperature: (90+68)/2=79

*Since the Average Daily Temperature is more than 65, you will subtract 65 from the Average Daily Temperature.

Degree-Days: 79-65=14

Example 2:

High Daily Temperature: 42
Low Daily Temperature: 22
Average Daily Temperature: (42+22)/2=32

*Since the Average Daily Temperature is less than 65, you will subtract the Average Daily Temperature from 65.

Degree-Days: 65-32=33