LIGHTING THE CITY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 75, 26 September 1933, Page 8

LIGHTING THE CITY

USE OF ELECTRICITY

PIONEER'S REMINISCENCES

METHOD OF CHARGING

Wellington was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to adopt electricity for lighting purposes, and to the. Wellington City Councilis due the credit of letting a. contract for lighting the streets by electricity in 1889, said Mr. Gco. Lauchlan, the- retiring president of the New Zealand Power Board and Supply Authority Engineers' Association, in an address at the annual conference of that body today. The plant, he said, was driven by water turbines. The City Council agreed to supply the wafer from the city mains; but this arrangement lasted only for a little over two years, as it was found that the quantity of water required to run the plant was greatly in excess of the amount estimated, and tho city was in the position of either going without lights or curtailing the use of water for industrial purposes. In fact, when a fire occurred in the city it was necessary to shut down the plant in order that the fire brigade could have the pressure of water needed to deal with the fire. This led up to the installation of the first steam plant and the supplying of electricity to private consumers in Wellington. Statutory power for this was granted in 1892, and the plant was laid down in Harris Street. "As you are aware," said Mr. Lauchlan, "we have now completed the changing over of our system to the New Zealand standard, and I can claim the unique distinction of taking part in the original scheme of 1889, and in 1933 completing the change-over to the present standard system." All tho early electrical undertakings were developed as commercial concerns, and most of tho shareholders in them invested their money with a view to getting a return in the way of .dividends. They were doomed to disappointment, and as usually happened, the pioneers lost their money, the president continued. In those day* electricity was used only for lighting purposes; nobody dreamt of using it for power or heating purposes, for the cost of generating was such as to make it economically'impossible. A LUXURY THEN. The tariffs in those- days were such that electricity, was looked upon as a luxury. In Wellington the Electric Liehtink Act allowed a charge, of Is per Board of Trade unit, and under those conditions thei development was very slow, as in addition to the high price the supply was not in the daytime, the plant being started up at sunset and shut; down at daybreak This proved unsatisfactory and retarded progress, and for reasons which would be appreciated by engineers, led to serious difficulties in maintenance and operation. SYSTEMS OF CHARGING. Mr Lauchlan referred to the systems of charging for power under today s conditions, both for commercial and domestic purposes. The maximum demand system (recently introduced for commercial lighting in Wellington), he said, embodied all the principles of the differential tariff which should be observed in rate-making. In bygone yars the maximum demand system meant the'installation of demand indicators, but with increased capital outlay and maintenance expense today, experience had taught that it was unnecessary to install indicators permanently in other than exceptional cases. It was sufficient to obtain records for a short period and base the demand charge upon the information obtained. THE SINGLE METER SYSTEM. Wellington, Mr. Lauchlan continued, Lad pioneered the registering of_ domestic supply on one meter, a position that was forced on the department during the war, when it was impossible to obtain meters, and he had no -hesitati6n in saying that the. system had been an unqualified success. The method of calculating the number of units to be charged at the lighting rate was. to take the average of 4000 connections, the different-sized houses be ing-separated, and-the resultant averages obtained formed the basis on which the lighting or primary units were charged. The results worked out wonderfully accurately, and as the result of a check carried out after the change was made it was found that the difference in revenue under the two systems was within 1 per cent., and against that, the pity had the advantage of: (1) Considerable saving in capital outlay on meters to' provide for present and future . requirements, with consequent decreased annual capital charges; (2) saving in current used in energising meters, as each meter consumes on an average 13 units per annum; (3) saving in time on meter reading; (4) more equitable system of charging; (5) reduction of meter maintenance expenses. "There is no doubt that the adoption of this tariff has done much to popularise" the use of electricity," said Mr. Lauchlan. "Much more could bo said in connection with the important subject of tariffs, but I will leave it to- others to follow up the subject, and probably some day they will arrive at a method of charging which will reduce the enormous capital outlay which is today incurred in providing equipment for registering-the current used by consumers." The rule for the domestic tariff rate in.'Wellington is very simple:—Take the number of ropms in the house, less one, and multiply by two. This gives the number of units per month which are charged for as used for lighting. All unjts consumed per month over this figure are considered to have been used for heating, cooking, radio, ironing, cleaning, etc. Thus in a five-roomed house the charge is for 8 lighting units (5 minus 1 multiplied by 2) per month. » Lighting units cost Bd, less '4d discount if payment is made within 14 days. Heating, cooking, and other units cost Id. There are special charges for water heating.