ELECTRICAL NOTES.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 9, 24 July 1930, Page 9

ELECTRICAL NOTES.

Cooking by Electricity and

General Information.

The Engineer General Manager of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board has prepared the following information which will be of interest to all users

of, electricity

Tt. will, no doubt be of interest to our consumers to study some of, the results obtained where electric cooking has been in use for some time/

From accounts' examined it may be taken that a family of from three to four persons consume, on an average, from 1 to IJ, units per head per day, and that' "where'rjfere. arC five in a family the number of units per head falls to 1 ivnit. Where electrical cooking for larger families, this basis further decreases, and may fall .as low as half a unit per person per day. To estimate, however, on the -high side, cooking by electricity for a household of four persons at 1* units per head per day is thus equivalent to say 2,200 units-per-annum; This is 14"d per unit represents £13/15/- per annum. (We have many accounts much lower than, this). •- v\s, the Huitt -; Valley Electric Power .Board's.-.charges for current used for cooking are on a sliding scale, we can average the price at lid which would represent £11/8/- per annum. This is also suibjeet to a discount of one penny *in the shilling providing payment is made .wit-hin. the period allowed (14 days after date of reading); except where prepayment -meters are installed.

This when-"'compared with domestic coal, (at present day rates, averaging" £3/15/- per ton), is equivalent to approximately 3 tons, 14ewt on the l*d per unit rates and 3 tons lewt on the average of l£d per unit.

If the cooking for the same family were done entirely by coal, the annual consumption of fuel would be approximately '4 tons per annum. This -would cost £15. ..

-1 Once the public have realised that electricity provides really the cheapest and cleanest form of cooking, labour saying, no dirt' or smell, there is little .or no douibt that its use will become almost universal, with the result t&at the old pattern of fuel stove will ■become obsolete. JJet it be understood that the above estimate for coal is on the law side, and if you will carefully ■ check up ; your coal,bnls over a period of 12 months, you will find that it; is .mostly in the vicinity of five tons per ■ annum. ..'.. ■■■'..' ■ • Hot water will, however, still be re-. quired,-and there again .electricity will see you through. We will convince you that, heating water, by. electricity is cheap, reliable and clean, and current for this purpose can be had for-as low as l/sth of a penny per unity. We -have recently reduced the rates for electrical cookers, and if yon have. not received a copy of the New Bates Schedule, please secure one from the meter reader. The success of cooking by electricity can be judged by the number of cookers installed in th© Hutt Valley. Our records show thjit over 1,200 electric ranges are in daily use. * * Electricity saves more than it uses.'' Advances to Consumers. The Board will advance money to approved property owners for the pitrctiase of an electric range. Full particulars upon application. To all consumers installing electric ranges the Board will grant 50 units free off the first account. Water Heating by Electricity. A few comparisons will, no doubt help our. consumers in making comparisons of heating water by eleotrieity against any other means of heating. Tiie rates are based on the wattage capacity of the element fitted to cylinder. To clarify the position the following information will assist:-— 100 watts equal 1 kilowatt. 100 watts or 1 E.W. used for one hour - equals 1 unit. Prom the foregoing, it Will be evident that a 1000 watt element will consume 1' unit per hour of 24 units per day. To show that the charges for heating of water by electricity are reasonable on the Plat Bate system against a unit charge, let us take a 1000 watt element. Under the Board's Bate "I" £10 per 1000 watts per annum, 22 hour service, the consumer secures power at the low

rate of 0.295 d per unit, whci'eas if he paid as a unit rate, the annual charge would- work out as follows: — At Id per unity—£33/9/2 pei' annum. At Ul per unit —£1(3/14/7 per annum. Hate "I" "only applies to ordinary water heating, where no special conditions have been applied to retain heat under the Heat Storage Principal. We will, now take the next rate, — Bate "J". —Under this rate the charge is £10 per 1000 watts per annum, less 15% equals £8/10/-. The consumer secures power at 24 hour service at, the low rate of- 0.234 d per unit, or approximately. s*d per 24 houT service. -.This .is based on 100% load factor., . This rate .applies to eonsiumers who have Thermostatic Control. Tiiere is still another Plat Rate that may appeal to^ consumers who -wish to secure water heating >by electricity, at the lowest cost, under Rate "X". Rate. lfK"—Under this rate the charge is £10 per 1000 per annum, less 40%, equal £6;. On an average consumers would. secure a 20 hours daily service. ; ' ■ " ' '"'.."• The consumer under this special low rate secures power at 0.197 d per unit, ot under 4d per day. All the aibove figures are based on gross charges. The consumer who pays his account promptly secures a further one penny in the shilling discount. To those who do not secure reasonable satisfaction' from water 'heating 'by electricity, we offer the following suggestions:— Have cylinder . carefully lagged, and all hot water pipes wrapped with' cow hair felt. Watch carefully for leaky joints and taps.; Secure from the meter reader or this office, a copy of the Board's Specification on Water Heating. Wattage for Lamps. To assist consumers to judge the current consumed by various, sizes of lamps the following taibl« may b,e helpful. On some of our investigations where cbristaners havo complained of heavy •bills, we havo found that lamps have been placed in certain rooms of considerably more power than required. We submit these figures for the eon-

The above figures are more or less approximate for" lamps, of reputable make at a reasonable tolerance around 230 volts.

The life of an electric globe varies, but on an average 1000 hours burning will not vary in wattage consumption, in fact some lamps, have been in lise for over 2000 hours.

However, after 1000 hours burning the lamp consumes slightly more than its maTked wattage, and lamps showing signs of (blackness on the glass should be discarded.

sumer^s guidance. ■*,..'. 10 watt" lamp burns lOO&rs for 1 unit 15 „ „ „ 66 „ 1 „ 20 „ „ „ 50 „ 1 ,,- 40 '„' "„ „ 25 „. 1 60 „. „ ' ■„■- 161 „ 1 100 ' „ ■ „ ,, 10 „ 1 „ 200 ■■„.■„ „ 5 „. 1 400 -,, „ „ 2* ■' 1 „