This winter’s weather has been bizarre. First, we had freezing temperatures in November, followed by a spring-like December that actually caused plants and animals to get mixed up about what season it was. Now, we are in mid-winter; home heating systems are working overtime; and electric bills are growing larger.

Many folks expect their January and February bills to be the highest of the year. But, some people don’t just have higher bills; the have unmanageable bills based on – to them – unexplainable electric use. When this happens, their first inclination is to:

• Blame the meter, alleging it’s “running too fast” or is inaccurate. (Meter tests confirm an accuracy of over 98 percent on the BREC system.)

• Blame Buckeye Rural Electric for its rates. (Consumption and energy “habits” determine electric bills. Kilowatt hours of electricity must be consumed before the rate is applied to calculate the bill. At this time of year, electric use is dependent to a large degree on home heating.)

• Blame the co-op for issuing an incorrect bill. (This can occur but is the easiest to prove or disprove.)

“It can’t be that high. We weren’t using any electricity,” is the common refrain we hear.

We never doubt that folks actually believe this to be the truth. The job of BREC’s energy advisors is to help consumers understand that, in reality, their homes use energy that they don’t think about until the electric bill arrives.

How much of it is wasted? There’s the problem. The whopping big winter electric bills that cause anger and frustration can be understood when the home’s “energy envelope” becomes the focus of attention and people determine to take corrective action when deficiencies are identified.

For several years now, BREC has urged members to conduct a pre-winter energy audit. The instructions and recommendations are frequently printed in this magazine and published on the co-op’s Web site (www.buckeyerec.com).

However, performing the audit is only half the job. Problems must be corrected, and this often involves either sweat equity or calling on an HVAC contractor. BREC can help.

This is the first in a series of “Energy Advisor” columns. I want to talk about some of the problems we find and what can be done to avoid those monster electric bills in winter and summer.

Let’s go back to the statement that the household wasn’t using any electricity. Even homes with natural gas, propane, or wood heating systems use electricity steadily for lighting, refrigeration, cooking, washing and drying, water heating, pumps (wells, septic systems, basement sumps, hot tubs, bathtubs with water jets, landscape sprinkler systems, fish ponds and water gardens), ventilation, and an incredible number and array of portable appliances: hair dryers, irons, radios, television sets, microwaves and other kitchen tools, DVD players, CD stereo systems, electronic game players, computers, shop tools, and more.

It all adds up, but the home’s base load will be influenced by consumption related to heating and cooling (seasonal), water heating (constant), and lighting (controllable).High bills in winter most likely will be attributed to a combination of heating degree days, efficiency of the heating system, and insulation (protection against infiltration or heat transfer).

The first thing we need to determine is how much of the rise in the cost is a result of the weather. We can find out by using a unit of measurement called "degree day.”

A degree day compares the outdoor temperature to a standard of 65 degrees Fahrenheit (F): the more extreme the temperature, the higher the degree-day number. Cold days are measured in heating degree-days (HDD). For a day with a mean temperature of 40 degrees F, 25 heating degree-days would be recorded (65 base minus 40 = 25 HDD). Two such cold days would result in a total of 50 heating degree-days for the two-day period. Americans use more electricity today than at any time in history. Energy conservation can be achieved only if we understand what effects our consumption. By studying degree-day patterns, you can evaluate the increases or decreases in your heating or air-conditioning bills from year to year.