ELECTRICITY CHARGES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9796, 20 October 1917, Page 2

ELECTRICITY CHARGES

A NEW METHOD TO BE ADOPTED

The City CouiX-il hag, on the recommendation of the power stations and tramways committee, resolved to give effect to proposals for instituting a now method of charging for electrical supply in private residences by the use of one meter instead of two. Tho tramway general manager (Mr W. H. Morton) has reported that the proposal affected only purely residential buildings, and was not ,to include any business or trade premises, or buildings used for business and residential purposes. The proposal would effect a permanent saving after the work had been completed, and would enable the department to meter over 900 houses, which wore supplied under contract, and from which unsatisfactory results were obtained. _ Although some accounts would be slightly increased, others would be decreased, and the method might be considered as an averaging system of charging fm lighting for houses of similar size. All supplies would he charged for, hut the amount over and above the allowance for lighting would he at the rate fixed for heating. The simplification of the system would. Air Morton considered, increase the popularity of the use o) electricity for domestic purposes, and the cost of wiring new houses would be decreased. In computing the number of rooms in a dwelling, the living rooms only were taken into consideration, and not the halls or passage-ways, sculleries and bathrooms. The adoption of the proposal would put the department in the position to release about 8500 meters, which would bo available for erection in houses now on contra/ct. and for new consumers. A large number of meters which would be returned would be of too small a capacity"*to enable them to be used on the combined heating and lighting circuits. and the engineer proposed having these meters altered so as to enlarge their capacity. In cases where the advantage of tho change necessary rested with the department, the necessary alterations would be carried out by the corporation, but where the consumer was going to benefit he must effect the necessary alterations at his own expense. Somewhat similar systems were in use in Glasgow and some cities in America. Investigation of a large number of present accounts showed that there would actually be a slight average reduction in rates.