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.

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 2 temperatures. If the 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 1:

*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:

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

Degree-Days: 65-32=33