R help - Oct 2006 - Dataset on Baltimore home energy costs

I received a private request for my complete dataset from my previous
questions. In gratitude to the developers of R, and especially to the
helpful members of r-help, I'm happy to attach it. Anyone is free to use
this dataset in any manner they wish, including published books.
Attribution is not required, or even desired.

Explanatory notes on dataset:
This data is collected from monthly utility bills for my 80 year old
house in northern Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. The fields are:
start: date of start of billing period
therms: integer number of therms used in this billing period
gas: Total cost of gas (including delivery and commodity charges) for
natural gas
KWHs: integer number of KWH used in this billing period
elect: Total cost of electricity (including delivery and commodity
charges)
temp: average daily outdoor temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, as
printed on the bill
days: number of days in billing period.

Heating system is a 10-15 year old natural gas steam boiler supplying
iron radiators. Hot water heater, clothes dryer and stove and oven are
also natural gas. Air conditioning is by various numbers of window
units. If surface area of house is desired, I can add this at a later
time.

Some interesting points in time:
22-Apr-04: Date when I upgraded 2 failed, older storm windows to more
modern ones. 
1-Sep-04: Date when I upgraded 4 failed, older storm windows to more
modern ones. Interesting question: Did upgrading the windows
significantly change the heat loss?
last week of July 1999: Spouse moved in; both adults absent during the
work day, setback thermostat used. Interesting question: Is there a
discernable difference in the energy costs for heating between a single
person and a couple? What's the heating "cost" of adding a spouse
or
roommate?
18-Dec-2006: Brought home son; spouse and son home during the day,
setback thermostat no longer used. Interesting question: What's the
"cost" of adding a child?

If I could supply any more information that would make this dataset more
useful or interesting, please let me know. I'm having fun 'playing'
with
these data; I hope you and your students do, too.

-Kevin
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> elect: Total cost of electricity (including delivery and commodity
> charges)
With Maryland's BG&E/PSC/State Legislature rate control, does anybody
_really_ know what the total cost is?  That may be what you paid then,
but was that the total cost?

The cost data may be difficult to compare with non rate controlled
utility cost data.

Richard Graham

Sorry, dumb typo. Should be 18-Dec-2005. -Kevin

________________________________

From: Richard M. Heiberger [mailto:rmh@temple.edu]
Sent: Fri 10/20/2006 5:43 PM
To: Zembower, Kevin
Subject: Re: [R] Dataset on Baltimore home energy costs



Thanks for the data.  Can you clarify the date here.

18-Dec-2006: Brought home son; spouse and son home during the day,
setback thermostat no longer used. Interesting question: What's the
"cost" of adding a child?


It's still October, so I am not at all sure which year this should be.

Rich



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