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Early Heat Wave Isn’t Cool
June 29, 2010

An early season heat wave in June has caused air conditioners to work overtime to beat the heat and dry lawns required more watering. There’s no question – it’s been hot! Actually, it’s been about 29% hotter so far this June than the same time period last year.

Normal temperatures in June are in the mid-80s, according to the National Weather Service. The area’s current temperatures are averaging 5 to 7 degrees above normal. We’ve had 20 days with daytime highs in the 90’s this month, and the high humidity makes it feel even hotter.

Electric usage levels have been more comparable to July and August rather than the typical June," said Roger Jones, GUC’s Director of Electric Systems. "July and August are normally our highest usage months."

This year, from June 1 - 27, we recorded a total of 160,759,788 kWh delivered through our Point of Delivery substations. That's a 13.7% increase over the same time period last year.

Looking at a continous seven-day period, we set a record this year with 46,233,094 kWh for June 21-28. The previous record was 45,758,209 kWh for June 5-11, 2008.

We haven’t broken the single-day record yet, but it was close. For a single day, the highest kWh recorded is 7,172,936 in August 2007. The highest single day recorded this year was 6,923,844 kWh on June 25th.

Water usage has jumped in the Greenville area in recent days as well. Customers have used an average of over 14.5 million gallons a day from June 20 through 27. As a comparison, our Water Treatment Plant has the capacity to treat 22.5 mgd, and in 2009 we averaged 10.9 mgd for the year.

Earlier this month, customer water demand was in line with previous years. In the early part of the month, we averaged a little over 12.5 million gallons a day, which is more than last June (11.4 million gallons a day), but less than June 2008 (12.9 million gallons a day).

Typically rainfall amounts play a greater role in how much water is used. We’ve had a little over two inches of rain so far this month, which is average rainfall for this time of year. 

Despite the record-breaking numbers, GUC had no problem meeting the demand. Fortunately, we have the facilities and production capacity in place to provide service to customers when they need it.

High temperatures and humidity can account for high energy and water usage, and that can mean higher utility bills. The outside temperatures force even the most energy-efficient homes to consume more power for cooling and thirsty lawns soak up more water from irrigation systems. Using energy and water wisely is critical, especially when temperatures soar.

Depending upon how much you used your air conditioning or watered your lawn, you could see a significant increase in your utility bill. How much is hard to say. It depends upon billing cycles and thermostat habits.

Bills vary because of difference lifestyles, the age and capacity of your air conditioning unit, the condition of your ducts, the size of your home, air "leaks", where you set your thermostat, etc. Even a two or three degree difference in the thermostat setting can make a dramatic difference in the amount of energy used.

Here are some tips to help decrease your electric usage in hot weather, and lower your bill:

• Set your thermostat for 78 degrees. If you set your thermostat below 78, you’ll add around 3% to 5% per degree to your cooling costs. Setting above 78 saves around 3% to 5% per degree.
• To be comfortable at higher temperature settings, use fans along with your air conditioning. A typical ceiling fan or box fan uses less than a penny an hour to operate.
• Replace or clean filters monthly. Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and reduce a system's efficiency significantly.
• Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air conditioner thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances and causes the air conditioning to run longer than necessary, using more energy.
• Check for duct leakage in the attic. It could be allowing 120 degree attic air into your system, making your air conditioning work even harder.
• Limit vehicle washing. Use a hose nozzle and turn off the water when washing your car and save more than one hundred gallons of water. Try to wash your car on the lawn and not the pavement so excess water can return to the ground and not evaporate.
• Don't use a hose to clean sidewalks and driveways. Use a broom and save up to 80 gallons of water every time.
• Limit lawn watering to that necessary for plant survival.  Water lawns before the peak demand hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• Water shrubbery the minimum amount required and water before the peak demand hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Click here for more energy/water saving tips.