Weather Normalization

Heating/cooling degree-days; correlation to energy; adjusting baseline for mild/cold years.

10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026

Weather is the biggest single influence on most buildings' energy use, and it changes every year. Weather normalisation adjusts for this so that savings reflect your project, not the seasons.

In this lesson

01The problem weather creates
02Degree-days
03How normalisation works
04A worked example
05Getting the base temperature right
06Beyond degree-days
07The honest core of M&V
08Sources and further reading