ELECTRIC POWER

Evening Star, Issue 19002, 25 July 1925, Page 10

ELECTRIC POWER

MAXIMUM DEMAND SYSTEM CONCESSION FOR SMALL CONSUMERS. The Electric Lighting and Power Committee of the City Council reports that the method of assessing and charging for the maximum demand in the case of residential consumers has been under consideration for some time. Hitherto, the demand has been registered by a maximum demand indicator which is installed for twelve mouths, and thereafter the demand is taken as the average reading of the indicator over the year. The number of consumers now being connected is, however, so largo that there are not sufficient indicators to go round. The instruments are also fragile, and there is always a certain proportion of unavoidable wastage. The committee is of the opinion that it would he inadvisable to continue the purchase of indicators, more especially as there is a simple, and in many ways a more satisfactory, method of assessing the maximum demand.

Briefly, the procedure which has been very widely used in Canada and the United States, and which has just recently hpen adopted in Sydney, is to obtain the floor area qf a house by taking the outside dimensions of the building, omitting boy windows and similar projections. The area derived by these dimensions multiplied by the number of floors and reduced by 10 per cent, and taken to the nearest 100 square feet gives the area' on which charges are based. Verandahs, basements, unfinished attics, and outbuildings are excluded, except where used for living or sleeping purposes, in •which case the net area so used is charged for. It is expected that the ncw_ system will operate more particularly in favor of the small consumers using from seven to ten units per month, as these have hitherto received practically no benefit under the existing system, paying for the total consumption at the 5d rate. These consumers have naturally hesitated to install irons or other appliances. The adoption of the new system will also solve the problem of indicator supplies, reduce the work of the test room staff very considerably, and the net result will ho a benefit to both’the consumers and the department.

The committee recommends that the above proposal be adopted for all new private consumers, commencing from August 1 next, with the reservation that it bo not applied In any. particular case where it can bo shown that it will he a hardship. The system should also he subject to the proviso that it will apply only to minimum net areas of 600 square feet, which represents 4$ units per month at fid, or nine units on a two-monthly meter reading. It is to be particularly noted also that the new system 1 is not to apply to all present consumers who have maximum demand indicators or no those whoso maximum demand has already been assessed and fixed under the existing system.

It is hoped at an early date to also recommend an alteration in the country rates where meter reading is too *ostly.