All these things use extra kilowatts. By having advance notice of these temperatures, the utility companies can arrange for enough power to meet everyone's needs. Utilities also monitor the temperatures in other parts of the country to be able to purchase enough gas and electricity from other regions in a timely and economical manner. Here in the West, where hydropower is key to the energy picture, the utilities keep close tabs on both the rain and snowfall. This allows them to determine the amount of runoff that will be available to run the power plants throughout the year.
Many utilities also have cloud-seeding programs to enhance rainfall, even if only slightly.
We were trying to cut back on the thermostat, but in spite of that we used an average of 4.7 therms per day this year compared to 3.5 last year. The year before that we used 5.1 therms per day. I do have the impression that it's been colder this year, but I'd like some hard data. Ann Turner - Menlo Park A . This is certainly a timely question, as I just got my bill too.