SCHOOL’S POWER CHARGES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27408, 22 July 1954, Page 12

SCHOOL’S POWER CHARGES

M.E.D. EXPLANATION OF ADJUSTMENT

LETTER TO PAPANUI TECHNICAL BOARD

Information about the school’s electricity supply, requested by the Papanui Technical High School Board of Governors after a discussion at its last meeting, was supplied by the Municipal Electricity Department in a letter received by the board yesterday. The department charged a special rate (now 5d a unit) for a number of ‘‘high rate” units, the number of these being determined by multiplying the demand in kilowatts by 40 a month, said-the letter. Maximum load indicators installed last October showed that the load at that time was about 20 kilowatts, whereas the college was being supplied on an assessed maximum demand of 3.75 kilowatts a month.

‘‘lt was realised that, though tins assessed maximum demand may have been correct in the very early' days before evening classes were commenced, it was quite unrealistic now,” said the department’s letter. ‘‘The demand on which the college was charged was less than 20 per cent, of the actual demand.

‘‘For the period from December 11, 1952, to May 5, 1953, the total consumption was 8973 units, 600 units being charged at the high rate of 3Jd and 8373 units’at id, giving a total of £34 18s 2d. For this period, the assessed maximum demand was 150 units per month.

“For the period from December 11, 1953, to April 30, 1954, two accounts were again rendered. For the first period, December to March, the measured maximum demand was 704 units a month, while for the second account from March to April 30 the maximum demand had increased roughly 23 per cent, to 864 units a month.’ For the whole period, 3136 units were charged at 5d and 1646 units at IJd, giving a total cost of £73 18s Id.

“It would appear that the school has benefited for some considerable time by electricity charges much lower than the characteristics of the load justify,” the letter said. “The School is now being charged on the same rate as the Christchurch Technical College and Canterbury University College.” Comparison of Accounts

Mr L. B. Newton, principal of the school, said that in the 1953-54 period, in question 53 per cent, as much power had cost 114 per cent, more than the charge for the corresponding period a year earlier.

Mr R. H. Truscott suggested that the increased maximum load resulted from a greater peak during night classes. Mr Newton said there had beeh 14 evening classes in 1937, compared with 24 in 1947 and 32 this year. Commenting on the possibility that the period when the department’s maximum load indicators were in use might have included the date of an evening function, when practically all the college’s lights would be on, Mr Truscott said. ‘‘lf you do it just for one hour one night, that’s the demand you have to pay on.” On the motion of Mr J. Sturrock, it was decided to write to the department, asking for a recheck on the college’s maximum demand.