ELECTRICAL HEAT

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 195, 13 May 1924, Page 8

ELECTRICAL HEAT

NONE TO SPARE THIS WINTER A MISAPPREHENSION REMOVED Only a few months ago it was announced that owing to the pending completion of tho new power station at Shag Point there was going to be ample power for all purposes this winter, and that all our troubles due to shortages of power were now practically over. This, unfortunately, is not the case. As a matter of fact, Wellington is in much the same position ns it was last winter in respect to heating connections, and consequently the same precautions are. to be taken by users in economising in the use or hot-points for irons or vacuum cleaners, motors, or radiators during the next three months between 4 and 6 p.m. —the peak-load hours. From this it can be judged that no permits for the provision and use. of radiators or hot-points has been issued for some little time past, and all applications for same are being declined at the present time. Only recently one new Government buildihg applied for the installation of 144 radiators, fully expecting that, on what had .been published, there would be no difficulty in getting the order fulfilled, and very great surprise was expressed when it was learned that there was not tho remotest chance of the application being favourably entertained. Yesterday a Dominion reporter endeavoured to get at the real position. He was informed that the present position was that no applications for heating connections of any kind were being granted, no matter for whom they were wanted, for the very simple reason that at peak-load tinies. the station was running up to the limit of its capacity, and to ask the plant to do any more would be courting a break-down, which would be most serious with the middle of winter approaching. When it was pointed out that many expected to be supplied with electric power for heating this winter, it was explained that whilst, with the Evans Bay station running to its full capacity there would be any amount of power, it was unfortunate that they—the lighting and heating department—were not able to take advantage of tho situation because tho city was not yet reticulated for the higher voltage that was coming along, and which was to be supplied by the new power-house as well as the Government hydro works at Mangahao. Until such reticulation was accomplished, and the system made safe for the new voltage, tliej could not take advantage of the now station as far as the heating requirements of the city were concerned. That would be the case for at least three months to come, until the pressure of the winter demand slackened off a little, when the Department might be in a position to consider applications for hot-points. What citizens had to remember was that the pending changeover was a rather large order, winch had to be tackled in a manner to cause inconvenience to the majority of the users of electricity, and i... s tile Department was trying its best to do

A start was made yesterday with ths institution of the change-over in the Miramar district —the first act so far in the big change about to be instituted. This preliminary work means that every installation in every hous<provided with elctricity has to bo inspected, and just what was needed in the way of alterations as to wiring, switches, etc., had to be noted by the inspectors, and the cost to the consumer and the City Council had to bo allocated in the report to headquarters. Following that, the work specified hail to be carried out in such u manner au not to interfere,, or to interfere as little as possible, with household requirements; that was by leaving the present fittings in position until the time camo for the actual change-ovet to the new 230 voltage. This work was now going forward, and in a week or two the worst would be known about this particular suburb. When tho work was finished the whole of that district east of the Evans Bay station would be changed over “in one pop,” so to speak. That would release several transformers and much wiring, which might be made available for giving relief in tho city (on the existing voltage) where extra or new connections were wanted, for it would be obviously ill-advised to put in new transformers of 105 volts to carry one year’s load only, as would be the case if the department were to grant one-fifth of the applications for heating points’ now before it. After Miramar had been changed over Lyall Bay, Kilbirnie, and Hataitai would be taken in hand, and when that district had changed over it would, in turn, relieve more 105-volt plant for use in the city pending the big general change-over. In that way it was expected that tho. coming winter would be the last during which tho city would bo hard up lor power.