Power consumption highest for years

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 4

Power consumption highest for years

Peaks in Christchurch electricity consumption on Tuesday were the highest experienced by the Municipal Electricity Department for several years. The M.E.D.’s electricity bill would be.Asl million higher at the end of the year as a result of the peaks in load, said the chief engineer (Mr W. G. Johnstone) yesterday. However, that figure could rise further if more cold weather spurs power consumption to higher peaks this winter.

Mr Johnstone estimated that response by consumers to broadcast appeals urging them to turn off electrical appliances had reduced the effect on the M.E.D.’s annual bill by about $145,000. “That is a reasonable figure considering conditions,” he said. .Mr Johnstone said the load had peaked twice about 300,000 kilowatts which was 50,000 kilowatts higher than previous loads this winter.

In recent years, loads had been “more or less” the same as consumers responded to power price rises and calls for reduced consumption, he said. A cold weather peak in the winter of 1976 was 335,000 kilowatts.

M.E.D. had anticipated further highs in consumption yesterday, but these had not eventuated.

Maximum power loads during the year partially determine the price the M.E.D. pays for its bulk electricity, and hence the charge to consumers. Mr Johnstone said the department’s bill could be boosted further if more bitter weather brings still higher peak loads. He ruled out any immediate increase in consumer tariffs as a result of the Tuesday peaks. “If things get very bad, there is always the possibility we would have to con-

sider going through the process of increasing the charges,” he said. It was too soon to predict the sjze of any increase in retail charges at the start of the next financial year as this depended, largely on the bulk price set by the Government to supply authorities.

The M.E.D.; tried to use its ripple control system on water-heating “intelligently” to maximise the effect on reducing peak power consumption while keeping down inconvenience to ’ consumers, said Mr Johnstone. “Normally we try to keep it to two or thre hours,” he said. The water-heating cuts were distributed over the M.E.D.’s consumers at various times and were a little longer than the preferred duration, he said. Mr Johnstone emphasised that consumers were only urged to. conserve power during the periods of peak load.