Article
May 1, 2013
Redefining Normal Temperatures
Published in Public Utilities Fortnightly
The utility industry has long wrestled with the effects of temperature on energy use, whether it’s summer heat waves driving peak electric demand to new heights and the electric system to record stress, or frigid winters straining gas pipeline capacities. Extreme temperatures are likely to pose continual problems and perplex utilities’ operators and planners. Defining what’s “normal” for weather and temperature creates its own challenges. An empirically objective approach, based on historical data and climate science, can help utilities avoid the effects of inappropriately defining normal weather.
