No matter what type of heating system you have in your home, Wisconsin winter temperatures can greatly affect your electric bill. As soon as members started receiving their February bills, we started receiving phone calls wondering why their bills took such a big jump.

As part of his job Member Services Technician Clint Crowley looks into these “high usage” inquiries. A St. Croix Electric Co-op member himself, he too noticed his usage increased compared to last year at the same time. He didn’t have to look far to find the reason: The average temperature for the January 2022 billing cycle was 11°F compared to 19° for the same period in 2021. And while the maximum temperature was the same both years 39°, this year saw a low of -22° while last year’s low for the same time period was -10°.

Although Clint works for the co-op, ANY member can access this same information through SmartHub, our online customer portal – just go to My Usage (or Usage on the mobile app) to access it.

The screenshot below, taken from SmartHub on the web, shows exactly how much the temperature affects usage – and this is for a member whose furnace is gas! The green bars reflect usage in kWh and the black line is the average temperature for the day:

The average residential account used 10% more kWh in January 2022 than one year prior in January 2021 and 20% more than one month prior in December 2021.

In most cases, the answer to a member’s question about a high BILL is “Your USAGE was high.” When it comes to colder temperatures, that’s obvious if you have electric heat … but even if you don’t, consider this;

• No matter what type of energy powers your furnace, electricity powers the fan/blower. When your furnace is working harder, it’s using more electricity.

• Even the small things – like electric blankets – you use to compensate for the cold can add up. That electric fireplace in the basement you turn on to provide some extra heat is essentially a space heater. We’re not saying don’t use them, but rather when you do, don’t be surprised when you see an increase in your bill.

• When the temperatures drop it takes more electricity to heat necessities and conveniences you have outside. Use that hot tub if you have it – just remember you’ll see it reflected on your electric bill. On one high usage visit, Clint identified an outdoor koi pond with two 1,500-watt tank heaters as the cause – another time it was heat lamps keeping chickens warm in the subzero temperatures.

To learn about the Energy Solutions St. Croix Electric Cooperative offers our members, visit us online at scecnet.net (look for the Energy Solutions dropdown menu), email us at ms@scecnet.net or call 715-796-7000 and press 8.