Degree Days

What are Degree Days?

A degree day is a way to measure how cold it has been over a 24 hour period. A degree day is determined by calculating the mean daily temperature for the day and subtracting it from a base temperature.

The mean daily temperature is calculated by taking the average of the daily maximum and minimum temperatures. The base temperature for ATCO Gas North is 14.5°C and for ATCO Gas South it is 15.5°C.

Weather Data

The weather data used to calculate degree days is obtained from Environment Canada. This data is subject to change.

Why Provide Degree Day Information?

Degree days are a good way to keep track of how much demand there has been for energy needed to heat buildings. The colder it is outside, the more degree days and the more energy required to heat buildings. ATCO Gas uses this information to help estimate consumption for billing and developing forecasts of expected consumption.

The links below contain graphical information of actual and normal daily degree days. Normal degree days are simply the average degree days for the last 20 years. The graphs display information for the current month and will be updated daily.

This information can be used to compare actual to normal consumption of natural gas. If actual degree days are less than normal for a particular day, then the actual consumption should also be less than normal.

If you require weather information from previous periods not shown below, please contact Environment Canada.

The following temperature files are in PDF format.  If you do not have a PDF viewer click on the link below:

	North Degree Days	11 kb
	South Degree Days	11 kb
	North Previous Month Degree Days	16 kb
	South Previous Month Degree Days	16 kb