Late August through the first week of September in many ways mimicked the degree-day patterns we experienced in late January through the first week of February, albeit on opposite ends of the outdoor thermometer.

For Tideland territory specifically, August 2026 required 37% more air conditioning than August 2025; and in the first six days of September, we required 40% of all the air conditioning runtime required for a full month. New Bern in fact tied for its third-warmest August on record.

If the heat wasn’t stifling enough, Tideland territory had 9.1 inches of rainfall in August, which is 33% higher than the historical monthly average. That meant HVAC systems were battling both higher temperatures and higher humidity levels during most of August. On a positive note, Tideland territory is no longer facing drought conditions that continue their stranglehold on many parts of North Carolina.

That’s why you may want to consider levelized billing to insulate yourself from single month extremes. It can be a great budgeting tool for members who live on a fixed income and can ill-afford seasonal surprises.

Given those climate conditions, most Tidelanders saw their energy consumption significantly increase in August especially compared to the same time last year.

When we zoom out and look at the summer cooling season as a whole, the energy consumption data is less daunting. We use cooling degree days (CDD) to quantify requisite HVAC system runtimes. In August 2026, we reached 524 CDD, while in August 2025, we only experienced 381 CDD. Thus the 37% increased runtime in August 2026. Now let’s look at the CDD for the entire summer season (June, July and August):

Summer 2023: 1,363 CDD
Summer 2024: 1,373 CDD
Summer 2025: 1,401 CDD
Summer 2026: 1,437 CDD

Yes, summers have been getting warmer in Tideland territory, but the rate of change is much more mild than a comparison of two most recent Augusts. Summer 2026 required just 5% more air conditioning than in 2023.

That’s why you may want to consider levelized billing to insulate yourself from single month extremes. It can be a great budgeting tool for members who live on a fixed income and can ill-afford seasonal surprises.

That being said, even levelized billing cannot halt the upward trajectory of electric bills due to cost increases impacting utilities nationwide. Minimizing or negating those impacts requires a personal plan of action that addresses your home’s energy efficiency and/or when and how you use energy combined with our residential time-of-use rate.

We stand at the ready to help you evaluate your options.