Heating Degree Days (HDD) in 2018

2018 Weather was more typical for HDDs

We know that weather changes a lot from year to year, but did you know that since the year 2000, the influence of temperature on building energy use from one year to the next has varied by more than 20%? 

This chart - updated to include 2018 - shows the HDDs compared to a 30 year average weather year for Vancouver. HDDs (Heating Degree Days) are a key figure that are used for predicting building energy use, and are directly calculated from the weather, and a "balance point" - in this case 15 degrees Celsius. In 2018 we saw the first nearly typical year since 2002, or arguably 2006, with 1.3% more HDDs than a typical year.  

Remember the lack of snow on Cypress at the 2010 Olympics? You can that reflected in the chart below.

The most remarkable thing about this chart is how much it varies year to year; with this much variation - you can see how important it is to adjust utility use calculations for weather using a tool like PUMA.