Alternative ways to use electricity

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 43

Alternative ways to use electricity

I Electricity, and itsj use in the city, is one of those commodities which is- just taken for granted. In fact, the only time onje might consider electricity seriously is when ih e I ci fy lights suddenly go out. I Unknown to most of us then, electricity ife undergoing a minor revolutiojn. For example, the generation and supply of electricity is managed by four newly-formed business groups.! | i| II These are: Electricorp Marketing, Production (which j is mainly : concerned ■ with the generation), i National Grid (which;is responsible fpr the high voltage transmission system), and PowerDesignßuild, (the gropp involved in design : and construction work.) : | Electricorp Marketing, is perhaps the most interesting of the new units. It has four main regiohs through the 1 country: and the Christchurch offibe supports and co-brdinates three area officeh, in Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin. j The marketing people intend to help electricity retailers to become more market and commercially orientated. The end result will hopefully mean better utilisation of expensive generating plants! - “The challenge ahead promises, to make electricity a j very coht effective energy source for all users from largh industrial processors 'down |to domestic users,” says Graham Hodge, i the regional commercial manager for Electricorp Marketing. : Electricorp, along with the M.E.D. will be going out and asking industrial concerns about their future requirements. They will also be involved architects and ! builders and making sure thpy have- i all the necessary knowledge about!electricity {while buildings are still on;the drawing board. . j Mr Hodge says that in the {future we will see

“Intelligent Buildings” in ChrisjtchurdlL These buildf ings [are equipped with controls to pionitor lightning land heating I autojmatically. For example, lighting levels are adjusted according [to , the amount of natural light entering trie; building. I There qould be' some changes fori the domestic user too. fttj present, night rate 7 'charges apply from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m„ but only (those who have storage heaters can take advantage ?f the : lower rates'. ! The question electricity marketing I people have to consider is| whether the private consumer j would be ipteresited in utilising variable rates during the day. I ! ■ i ' This would mean that lower, rates could be charged for non-peak periods during trie day and night.lTo take [advantage I of this arrangement, consumers [may have to change thbir living styles. There wobld have to be a ’ cfiange[ j in electricity metering methods as well. At presen[t,i most ; meters only measure the number of units and the cost per unit is [worked out as an averagle|of the various peak! and non-peak charges. | Special “[Time of Use” meters would have to be installed [in domestic meter boxes to | enable power consumption to be measured at its yariable charges tliijoughoui a 24hour period. I This vpuld introduce cost-related charges and the Consumer would then be in a position Ito use electricity at its' lower rates. | Mr Hodge believes- that such; a system could be desirable,l [but it I would take, some years to; implement throughout the city.

It would mean that about 100,000 new meters would need to be installed in the M.E.D. alone. Christchurch people can look, forward to{ changes in the supply [of electricity as new and moije innovative developments are introduced to make use pf this energy source. , i‘‘The aim is to control long-term {costs; through higher utilisation of the generation; plants,” [ “We believe that electricity is the; fuel for the future and we will be very competitive with other energy sources.” j Most of I the consumer costs are in heating and it is in this area where alternative; fuels can be used. Electricity does, { however, ijave an advantage because it can be used for lighting as well. Mr Hodge says that the supply of I electricity in Christchurch is very reliable. This is: because about 90 per cent of the high voltage cable is underground i and ; this also i makes for j a tidy city. “In Sydney, where i about 80; per cent of the cable is above the ground, I the electricity supply is. vulnerable: to | extreme weather.” ‘ ! I It is interesting to note! that 1988 is the {centenary l of hydro power genera- { tion in [ New [ Zealand. Reefton was lit by hydro! electricity in 1888 following experiments with a 1-1 kilowat dynamo at Daw-1 son’s Hotel two years; earlier.' : [ L: | There {have, of course,been many changes since then and! it seems that in the future the changes will be even faster. In the meantime, however, it iis the aimi 'of Electricorp Marketing | to design electrical systems ! with features determined by what the! end-user [wants.