Salt Lake City logged 1,535 cooling degree days through the end of August, surpassing the city's normal annual total of 1,420.
A cooling degree day measures how much energy is needed to cool a building. For every degree a day's average temperature exceeds 65, that counts as one cooling degree day. A day with an average temperature of 80 degrees, for example, produces 15 cooling degree days.
The record for Salt Lake City was set in 2022, when the city reached 1,943 cooling degree days for the year.
Using current Rocky Mountain Power rates, a normal year of air conditioning costs a Utah household about $244. Based on what Salt Lake City experienced through August 31, that figure already climbed to approximately $264 — about $20 more than a typical full year. September and October costs are not yet included in that figure.
If Salt Lake City were to tie the 2022 record, the cost to cool a Utah home for the year would reach approximately $334.