How Heating Degree Days (HDD) Relate to your Heating Bill

We all know when it is cold outside we will be turning on the heat. Heating degree days aren’t technically “days” at all. They’re a unit of measurement that’s been adopted by national organizations as the industry standard for weather models.

So what exactly is a heating degree day?

Heating degree days indicate how cold it is outside for a given day and for how long it was at that temperature. This can be more helpful than knowing the temperature alone for estimating how much energy you used on heating. Studying degree-day patterns can help energy managers and others evaluate the increase or decrease in heating bill from year to year.
Heating degree days are calculated by adding the high and low temperatures of a given day and then dividing by two (to obtain the average temperature). Each degree the average daily temperature falls below 65°F represents a heating degree day.

Degree Day Example

Your gas bill can vary from month-to-month for a variety of reasons 

> TIP: To help lessen fluctuations in your bill year-round, consider enrolling in the Budget Billing Program