POWER USED IN HEATHCOTE

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26847, 27 September 1952, Page 2

POWER USED IN HEATHCOTE

HIGH PROPORTION OF WATER HEATERS

No fewer than 80.18 per cent, of the consumers in the Heathcote county used water heaters and this was the highest ratio in the 83 power supply authorities in New Zealand, said the county electrical inspector (Mr W. S. Blandford) in a report submitted to a meeting of the Heathcote County Council last evening. The ratio of 70.52 per cent, of electric ranges used was the fifth, and only seven authorities had a higher maximum demand a consumer than the county’s average •of 1.251 kilowatts Six authorities showed a higher average number of units sold a year than 5237 units, the county’s average. The report showed that the average retail amount for each consumer as £15.21 a year and there were 31 authorities lower than this including the Christchurch Municipal Electric Department at £13.14 a year. The result had been accomplished out of revenue, Mr Blandford said in his report. Figures proved that the revenue ploughed back into the under, taking had produced results far above the majority of authorities. In spite of cut-offs from 1.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily, at one sub-station area every third night between 5 p.m. and a . nd switching off street lights at midnight, the county had been for seven consecutive weeks above its allocation from 35 per cent, down to 10 per cent., said the report. This represented power savings of" 10 per cent, to 35 per cent, during the period because units consumed before restrictions had been 40 per cent, above the a nd 5 per cent, less than the figure for 1951 which demanded no less than • a 45 per cent, cut, which was not practicable. The State Hydro-electric Department had made no allowance for either hospital load or abnormal growth of load, the