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Major Factors
What Factors Influence Electricity Use in Wisconsin?
Several factors can influence your monthly electric use. These factors
can be measured by WPS, and we summarize them on your monthly bill:
- Billing Days
- WPS makes every effort to read your meter
once a month. The number of days between the monthly meter readings may vary
slightly-it won't be exactly 30 or 31 days each time. Your bill shows the
number of billing days included and how that compares with the same month
last year. If fewer than 26 days or more than 35 days are included between
meter reads, your bill is prorated to reflect the length of the billing
period.
- Average Daily Temperature
- Weather can play a significant role in
how much energy you use. During a cold winter when more heating is required,
energy use may be higher. During a mild winter, energy use may be down. The
average daily temperature is shown on your bill for easy reference to how
temperatures this month compare with the same month last year.
- Degree Days
- Degree days measure how much higher or lower the
average daily temperature is compared with a base of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
The average daily temperature is subtracted from 65 degrees. The higher the
Heating Degree Days, the more likely your heating system needed to run to
warm your home. In summer, your bill reports Cooling Degree Days. It reflects
how much temperatures during the month were above 65 degrees. The higher the
Cooling Degree Days, the more likely air conditioning was needed.
- % Warmer or % Cooler
- Your bill shows what percentage warmer or
cooler it was this month compared with the same month last year. This percentage
is calculated based on the number of degree days this year compared with last
year.
- kWh Used and Average kWh/Day
- Kilowatt-hours (kWh) are a measure of
how much electricity you've used. Your bill shows how many kilowatt-hours of
electricity you used this year compared with last year-and the average number
of kilowatt-hours used each day.
