Your Heating And Cooling Needs Are Measured By Degree Days: Find Out How To Assess Efficiency

If you’re looking for a way to assess your home’s energy efficiency, you can use heating and cooling “degree days.” Degree days help you gauge how much energy you’ve used in a given time period.

There are two main kinds of degree days: heating and cooling. To help you understand what they are, we’ll use the example of calculating cooling degree days, which are used in summer.

The day’s temperature fluctuations are measured against a base temperature, which varies from day to day. Let’s say one day’s base temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you add the day’s highest and lowest temperatures and divide that sum in half, the resulting figure is the day’s average temperature. If that average is over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, subtract 70 from it. So, if the day’s average was 80 degrees, subtract 70 and arrive at 10. The day in question would have 10 cooling degree days.

Calculating heating degree days is similar, except that you reverse the figures in the arithmetic, subtracting the average temperature from the base temperature.

How can heating and cooling degree days benefit Northeast Florida homeowners? By helping you monitor energy use. On your cooling bill, find the dates when your meter was read. Then calculate the cooling days for that time period. You can find base temperatures and assistance with the process at www.degreedays.net.

Watching your energy consumption can help you understand how your home’s performance improves as you take steps to increase your efficiency. You can see the effect various changes you make have, such as:

•Raising your thermostat several degrees.

•Using ceiling fans to increase air circulation and comfort.

•Sealing air leaks in your ductwork and attic.

•Upgrading to high-efficiency cooling equipment.

While heating and cooling degree days can help you track how your home’s efficiency evolves, the best way to improve your performance is to have an expert energy evaluation. This can tell you exactly where and when you’re losing the most energy and provide targeted suggestions for improving your heating and cooling system’s performance. Contact Action Heating and Air Conditioning with questions or to schedule an evaluation today.