ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 58, 6 September 1926, Page 10

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

DOMESTIC TARIFF EXPLAINED

GRANTED TO SOME, NOT TO

OTHERS

"EACH APPLICATION ON ITS

MERITS."

There are several points in connection with the Electricity Department's "domestic tariff" system and with tho change-over which are not well understood by many consumers, and from that lack of understanding arise many of the complaints which are made to the department, to councillors, and in correspondence. A statement made by the Assistant-Man-ager and Distribution Engineer, Mr. G. Lauchlan, to a "Post" reporter to-day should assist in clearing doubts in the minds of many consumers. "The domestic tariff system was introduced during the war period when the department was up against it and could not get meters," said Mr. Lauchlan, "and was therefore a system whereby the two-meter system— one for lighting and one for heating and cooking—could be replaced by a single meter system. As a basis the Department averaged out lighting and heating consumptions with 2000 installations, the number being large, so that as true an average as possible should be arrived at for each type of dwelling ('three, four, five, six or more rooms) and the lighting demand so obtained was set down as the standard on which to work, all power consumed in excess of that amount being charged for_ as heating power, at a lower rate,_ i.e., twopence per unit in place of the eightpence (less discount of twopence per unit for prompt payment) charged for lighting power. Naturally, in any system based upon averages some individuals are going to pay more at lighting rates and some less, but when the system was being considered the averages were very fully worked out. HEAVY AND CONSTANT CAPITAL CHARGES. "The fundamental principle of tho system is to make sure that each consumer pays a fair proportion of capital charges, and those charges are common to all installations, irrespective of the amount of current used. Many of tho English supply authorities, in fact, make a fixed charge annually against each consumer to meet capital charges, plus a small charge for tho current used. That fixed charge in such cases runs on whether current is consumed or not. "Probably few people realise that these capital costs, of street reticulation, transformers, and plant generally, represent over -50 per cent, of the outgoings of the department, generating expenses accounting for the remainder. Nor does every consumer realise that such charges are constant, whether the consumption of current runs high or low. A DIFFICULT PERIOD. "One of the objects in adopting the domestic tariff system," continued Mr. Lauchlan, "was to encourage the use of electricity for heating and cooking, for at that time the Department was in a position to supply more power. Later, however, the Department could not do so, for Wellington was entering a period of real difficulty in regard to a sufficient supply of power to meet demands. Wo were then reluctantly compelled to refuse applications for any extensions on the domestic tariff, except in isolated.cases, such as sickness, and these were dealt with upon their merits. Not only that, but restrictions had to be placed upon the use of power for heating. in all premises, whether upon the domestic tariff list or not, during certain hours. AND THE CHANGE-OVER. "The council then decided to change the system of supply from 105 to 230 volts, and thus arose a new situation which made it inadvisable to grant extensions on the old system for heating and cooking, with excepti ns again in localities where there still remained unused capacity in the street mains and transformers. In these cases consumers are asked to indemnify the Department against the changing of elements in irons, radiators, and like appliances when the change-over does eventuate in their districts. "During the last year we have been able to transfer a good proportion of our load from the old to the new system, and in changed-over areas tho benefits of the domestic tariff system are automatically granted. This lightening of the demand for 105 volt power has enabled us to grant extensions in many cases under the old system supply, and where this has been possible the domestic tariff has also been allowed. "This next point I wish to make quite clear: each application must be considered singly. In some way an impression has gained ground that consumers were entitled to the domestic tariff from Ist May. That is quite incorrect. They will be granted domestic tariff when the circumstances of power supply in relation to the demand in their districts render it possible for the Department to grant it. "For the department to give everyone the right to make any extensions he thought fit, to put in radiators, electric ranges, all sorts of electrical appliances under the old system of 105 volt supply would be a most unbusinesslike proceeding, for street mains and transformers would in many cases have'to be altered and in a few months, when the district change-over came about, the department would be faced with the heavy cost of replacing 105-volt elements with elements suitable for the new power. The cost of so altering elements, apart from additions to outside reticulation, would bo far and away ahead of the extra revenue which would accrue to the department from tho extensions. AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED APPLIANCES. • "Actually this department has treated consumers very well in regard to tho changing of elements, motors in vacuum cleaners, and so on, for few consumers have lived within that section of the regulations which provides that every consumer must notify the department of extensions to his installation or additions to his equipment. A notification should be given of intention to instal a radiator, or an iron, just as much as in tho case of an electric cooker or water heater, but in the vast majority of cases this has not been done. Consequently such apparatus is, in the strict reading of the regulations, unauthorised, and the department really has the right to refuse to bear the cost of fitting it to tho now 230-volt supply. Actually it docs not do so, but it must, in the interests'of consumers as a whole, guard itself against unnecessary expense in changing over material bought to-day and used for only a month or so on the 105-volt circuit. "The new Government regulations, I understand, will further emphasise the necessity of the consumer notifying the supply authority of every extension and addition to installation, and only such appliances as are passed by the Approval Board, will be permitted. Thie

ia simply to protect the user of electricity, to guard against his installing apparatus that would be a danger to him. CHANGE-OVER PROGRESS. It was hoped that the last touches to the change-over in the Melrose district would be given next week, said Mr. Lauchlan, and a start had already been made at Island By. Following upon that Karori would b tackled, probably before the end of the year. In the meantime a great deal of work was being done in the city area proper, changing over to tho new supply the heaviest consumers of Wellington. Similarly, a start had been made in Newtown, a start having been made centring from a big consumer who required a big supply. Northland would be attended to following upon Karori, and so with Brooklyn, Vogeltown, and Mornington. Within certain limits, Hataitai was now fairly comfortably situated on the 105 volt circuit, for the main which ran through that district, and on out to Seatoun and Miramar was not practically freed for Hataitai, Seatoun and Miramar being now wholly changedover. Probably, said Mr. Lauchlan, two more years' work would see the residential areas "cleaned up," all supplied with tho new power and on an equal basis as regards system of charging, but there were difficult problems to be overcome in the mid-city area and two years' work would scarcely see the end of that. » Suggestions had been made that the department should put a big gang of men on the work and get it out of the way in quick time, concluded Mr. Lauchlan, but to that he had only to say that this was work for only highly sikilled men. It involved working with charged high tension mains, for consumers would very soon lift their voices if their current was cut off, and such work could not be placed in the hands of anybody. Considering the many difficulties which had had to be faced the progress made was higftly satisfactory.