WhiteFence Releases Projections for December Electricity and Natural Gas Bills

WhiteFence explores which cities of the WhiteFence Index will pay the highest electricity and natural gas bills over the holidays.

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) December 28, 2012

For every city in the WhiteFence Index, the average American home gets hit with bigger December bills compared to November bills. For most it is a significant jump caused by a spike in usage. For example, the smallest increase in electricity usage is an 11% increase on average in Orlando, Florida, but Washington DC sees a 49% increase in usage compared to November. So which cities pay the biggest bills and use the most electricity and natural gas in December?

Highest usage:
The cities that use the most electricity in December are Seattle WA, Portland OR, and Charlotte NC, at averages of 1353, 1320, and 1227 kWh's, respectively. Tied for first place as the top natural gas consumers are Baltimore MD, Boston MA, and tied for second place are New York City NY and Philadelphia PA, at averages of 196 therms and 187 therms, respectively.

Highest bills:
Judging by current winter rates and WhiteFence usage projections, cities that will probably have the highest bills for electricity are Portland OR, Seattle WA, and San Francisco CA, at approximately $150, $140, and $135, respectively. For natural gas, the cities with the highest bills will most likely be Philadelphia PA at $230, and Baltimore MD and Indianapolis IN at approximately $185.

Lowest usage:
The cities that consume the least amount of electricity as well as natural gas are Los Angeles CA, San Diego CA, and San Francisco CA.

Lowest bills:
The lowest bills for electricity will probably be Los Angeles CA at approximately $50, and San Diego CA and Chicago IL at approximately $60. The lowest bills for natural gas will probably be Dallas TX, Phoenix AZ, and Los Angeles CA at approximately $20, $50, and $60, respectively.

So what factors play in to who uses the most electricity or gas during the holidays? Temperature, humidity are two major factors in usage. Therefore, areas with temperatures of 60-70 deg F and humidity of between 40-60% are usually conducive to the least electricity use in terms of heating and cooling applications. However, there is also an uptick in usage over the holidays, regardless of whether or not the city has wonderful weather throughout the whole winter season.

So, considering all this information, which city wins “Best Place to Host Next Year's Holiday Family Reunion”? Los Angeles! December weather is mild there, with highs in the upper 60's and lows around 50. Humidity is very comfortable, and most days the skies are sunny or only partly cloudy. Due to these factors, Los Angeles reports low usage for both gas and electricity, and also boasts some of the lowest bills due to relatively low rates. Visit the WhiteFence Blog to stay up to date on the most current WhiteFence Index data analysis.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/12/prweb10277481.htm