North Texas seemingly experienced all four seasons in December, with some days feeling like summer or spring and others actually feeling like fall or winter. CoServ Members should expect energy usage for December to be more than in November.
More often, the average temperature was below 65 degrees, meaning homes, businesses, and schools were more likely to use their heater. That’s reflected in the increase in Heating Degree Days (HDD) in the chart below. If you have an electric heater, that will be reflected in higher electric usage. Members with a gas heater will notice an increase in gas usage, though electricity usage might go down, depending on how much you used your air conditioner.
| November | December | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature | 62.9 | 53.2 | 9.7 degrees cooler |
| Heating Degree Days | 145 | 395 | 250 more HDD |
| Cooling Degree Days | 93 | 38 | 55 less CDD |
| 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. | |||
The average temperature for December was 53.2 degrees. Compare that to November, when the average temperature was 62.9 degrees, which is closer to 65 degrees, resulting in less energy usage.
The week of Christmas, highs reached 80 degrees or higher, peaking at 86 degrees on Dec. 26. In true Texas fashion, the temperature plummeted on Dec. 28 from a high of 85 degrees in the afternoon to a low of 39 degrees that night, a 46-degree difference!
December was also notable for the lack of rain. Officially, North Texas recorded .08 inches of rain for the whole month. Normal rainfall for December is about 3 inches.
RATES
While the weather couldn't decide what season it is, CoServ Members can count on their electric rates to be consistent and affordable. In fact, CoServ lowered the energy charge again.
For January billing, the Standard residential rate will be 11.28 cents per kilowatt-hour, the lowest rate since the summer of 2023.
The reduction comes from CoServ lowering the Securitized Charges Recovery Factor (SCRF) by $0.0004 per kilowatt-hour. This affects all CoServ rate plans. The SCRF allows CoServ to spread out the extraordinary costs from Winter Storm Uri over a period of 25 years. The securitization financing was authorized by Senate Bill 1580. Click here for more information on the SCRF.
CoServ reevaluates the SCRF annually as more meters are added to the system and lowers it accordingly, as we did this month. The SCRF for January will be $0.0045 per kWh.
Another important factor on your bill is the Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF), which accounts for fluctuations in wholesale electricity prices. For January billing, the PCRF will remain at -0.015. A negative PCRF subtracts from the base rate, lowering electric costs for Members.
This marks the 19th straight month that the PCRF has been negative. As an electric co-op, when we save money, we pass that on to you, as we did this month.
Click here to learn more about how your CoServ rate is calculated.
Click here to compare our rates to the average retail electric provider in North Texas.
