Cold Weather Means Higher Electric Bills

You don't need to talk to a weatherman to know that this winter has been a cold one, the coldest in many years.

In fact, the first week of December was the coldest ever recorded for that period. And, that means power bills are up for Clayton residents, says Customer Service Director Ann Game.

"Electricity is being used at a much higher level than what is usual for this time of year," she said. "That is definitely impacting people's bills."

The cold temperatures, plus the complications of two recent snows, have led to much higher power demand.

"People were staying home more, cooking more and doing more at home," she said. "Also, kids were out of school due to the snow, and there's always more activity at home during the holidays. All of this impacts the electric bill."

Even though winter didn't officially begin until Dec. 22, the whole month of December was cold, with 28 days way below normal by an average of eight degrees. The first week of December was the coldest in history for that period, with record lows all over the area.

January has started out the same, with 11 days below normal so far.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, an oftentimes accurate predictor of weather patterns, predicts much colder than normal temperatures for this area through February, with a cool spring and a cooler than normal summer.