Dual-rate offers attractive consumer power charges

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 32

Dual-rate offers attractive consumer power charges

To help conserve energy some local electrical suppliers offer a dual-rate domestic tariff. The Central Canterbury Electrical Power Board, for example, call their dual-rate D 5.

They will replace a standard power meter with a two-dial or tworate meter so that during night hours all power (refrigerator, television etc., and the like) in the house is charged by the supplier at off-peak rate, and not

the hot water cylinder alone.

All power used during the day, however, is charged at the usual domestic tariff.

Mr Jim Eddington, the consumers’ advisory officer for the Power Board estimates that, if a consumer opts for the dual-rate, they will save up to 40 per cent on their usual power bill.

Installation of the tworate meter may not re-

quire a replacement of the meter box, and the

need to install additional cables between the metre box and switchboard may be eliminated also.

To give yourself some idea of the annual saving you might. make should you decide to change to the two-rate meter, take the three largest power bills you get this year and add the totals up, and do

the same with the three smallest. Following that,

subtract the amount of the smaller bills from the amount of the largest bills. The result is a rough estimate of your power bill for the year. Before opting to change to the two-rate meter it is important to seek the advice of your local power authority, because each supplier differs in the way they 'deal with this special tariff. The conditions for qualifying for the dualrate also varies.