I'll just add a little more explanation here since our site goes pretty in depth and I imagine most here would only be interested in a brief overview:
So buildings have what is known as a heating base temperature, which is the outside temperature above which heating is not needed inside the building. This is not the thermostat temperature inside the building (say 20 C), it is actually lower because of various factors like people and electrical equipment generating "free heat" inside the building, and how well the building is insulated to retain that free heat.
The base temperature varies from building to building, but let's say, for example, a fairly-well-insulated home might have a heating base temperature of 14 C. If the temperature outside is 14 C or above, that building will stay perfectly warm inside on its own, without the heating system needing to come on.
But, if the outside temperature drops below 14 C the building will need some heating to keep it comfortable inside. How much heating it needs will depend on how much the temperature drops below 14 C, and for how long.
And this is what heating degree days quantify. Here is an example diagram that demonstrates quite nicely how they are calculated (using a base temperature of 14 C):
The neat thing is that the heating degree days for any period of time represent all the relevant temperature variations across that period of time, and assuming you used an appropriate base temperature, are proportional to the heating energy consumption over that period of time. So for example you can have just one figure that represents the heating degree days across an entire week/month/year, and that will encapsulate all the relevant temperature variations across that week/month/year.
If January had 200 heating degree days, and February had 300, you can expect the heating energy consumption of the building to be 50% greater in February than in January. (Assuming you have chosen the right base temperature for your building that is!)
Compare this with knowing that the average temperature across a week/month/year was 12 C. What does that tell you about how much heating was needed in that week/month/year? Not a lot, cos you have no idea how much it varied within that time. This is the case even within a single day, since the temperature can vary a lot within a day.
Hence why people in the energy-saving business would typically use degree days rather than temperature data :)
(That said, hourly temperature data or similar is good for more sophisticated building simulations. But those are a lot more involved. On the simpler end of the spectrum degree days are a much better choice.)
Nice savings! Tho no ingenuity is needed to calculate them as there is actually an established process used in the energy saving business. It uses "degree days" that are derived from temperature measurements, rather than using temperature measurements directly.
Degree days work better in regression as, assuming the correct base temperature is chosen/calculated, heating degree days are directly proportional to heating energy consumption (including being zero when it is warm enough that no heating is needed) and cooling degree days are directly proportional to cooling energy consumption.
Coincidentally 2 days ago I tried something similar for the first time - a pea-based powder that you could make burgers out of. It wasn't as good as Beyond Burgers (my favourite of all the frankenmeats I can get here) but, considering its powdery origin, it was surprisingly good! Hope you enjoy yours! :)
So the meat you eat does not come from animals that suffer? They all live happy lives that they are happy to have cut short so they can be slaughtered for your dinner table?
I doubt it.
Curious to find out more about where you might be coming from, I took a look through some of your past comments. One in particular caught my eye:
> "I don't know how people can do that, slaughter an animal they've raised themselves."
To me this suggests that do have compassion for animals. This doesn't surprise me, because virtually everyone does. However, having compassion for animals just doesn't sit nicely with eating them, so we come up with reasons to justify that illogical behaviour of ours. Otherwise we would not be able to live with ourselves.
I am sure you do eat less meat than many people. But I bet that you would eat a lot less again if you had to personally slaughter all the animals you eat. Especially given how easy it is to not eat animals at all.
And in response to your last question, I think it's mainly just because it tastes good. Vegan meats and cheeses could quite reasonably be called something else, and I would still happily eat them. Though having them named as they are does make them more discoverable. I can see why that might make you annoyed if you are in the business of making and selling dairy cheese, and you see the rise of vegan alternatives as a threat to your business.
With all the anger you seem to have towards veganism I sense you may be closer to an awakening that most. Perhaps soon you will be making delicious vegan cheeses yourself :)
You seem to be suggesting that cheese is inexorably linked to animals. In my mind it's just a tasty substance that goes well in a sandwich. Nowadays it can very well be made without causing animal suffering.
Piano keys were traditionally made of ivory, now, fortunately, they are made of plastic. Does the elephant butchery of the past mean I should not play the piano today? I don't think so.
Times change. When kinder and more sustainable alternatives exist, it makes sense for us to favour them.
Well I must say that sounds like some peculiar logic to me! But hey, I spent years performing mental gymnastics to justify the suffering I contributed to by eating meat and dairy, so I can see where you are coming from ;)
I used to love steak, and fish, and various other non-vegan things. But I became increasingly uncomfortable with the thought of where those things came from, and eventually I had to give them up. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. Having vegan substitutes just made it easier. I don't see the harm in that, neither do I see the hypocracy. I want the taste, but I don't want the suffering.
Good point! Vegan cheeses are so much better now than they used to be, there's never been a better time to have a casein allergy :D
Honestly if it weren't for all the amazing fake meats, milks, and cheeses, I would find it a lot harder to be a vegan. As it is though, it's a piece of (vegan) cake :)
So buildings have what is known as a heating base temperature, which is the outside temperature above which heating is not needed inside the building. This is not the thermostat temperature inside the building (say 20 C), it is actually lower because of various factors like people and electrical equipment generating "free heat" inside the building, and how well the building is insulated to retain that free heat.
The base temperature varies from building to building, but let's say, for example, a fairly-well-insulated home might have a heating base temperature of 14 C. If the temperature outside is 14 C or above, that building will stay perfectly warm inside on its own, without the heating system needing to come on.
But, if the outside temperature drops below 14 C the building will need some heating to keep it comfortable inside. How much heating it needs will depend on how much the temperature drops below 14 C, and for how long.
And this is what heating degree days quantify. Here is an example diagram that demonstrates quite nicely how they are calculated (using a base temperature of 14 C):
https://www.degreedays.net/images/heating-degree-days-calcul...
The neat thing is that the heating degree days for any period of time represent all the relevant temperature variations across that period of time, and assuming you used an appropriate base temperature, are proportional to the heating energy consumption over that period of time. So for example you can have just one figure that represents the heating degree days across an entire week/month/year, and that will encapsulate all the relevant temperature variations across that week/month/year.
If January had 200 heating degree days, and February had 300, you can expect the heating energy consumption of the building to be 50% greater in February than in January. (Assuming you have chosen the right base temperature for your building that is!)
Compare this with knowing that the average temperature across a week/month/year was 12 C. What does that tell you about how much heating was needed in that week/month/year? Not a lot, cos you have no idea how much it varied within that time. This is the case even within a single day, since the temperature can vary a lot within a day.
Hence why people in the energy-saving business would typically use degree days rather than temperature data :)
(That said, hourly temperature data or similar is good for more sophisticated building simulations. But those are a lot more involved. On the simpler end of the spectrum degree days are a much better choice.)