ELECTRICITY RATES

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18286, 23 December 1919, Page 6

ELECTRICITY RATES

NEW SYSTEM ADOPTED. TO COME INTO FORCE IN APRIL. The Electricity Committee, reporting to the City Council last night on the system of charging for current, stated that the meters at present- In •use did not measure the idle or reactive current In alternating current motors. To correot this fault, and also to make the whole system of charging more equitable, it was proposed to put in an additional motor designed to measure this wattless current; but, recognising that motors generally were not capable of showing a 100 per cent power factor, it was proposed to make an allowance of 83 1-3 per cent on the idle current, and to then calculate the resultant figures from the two meters. For household power service It was proposed that the rate of lid for the first sixty hours and 2d for all in addition used above the maximum demand should bo altered to a flat rate of Id per unit, and that sll energy ÜBed for cooking, heating or single-phase power should bo addea to the Id rate of the lighting system now existing by the use or a maximum demand indicator in conjunction with one watt hour meter. For heating factories and offices it was proposed that the rate should be altered. Instead of lid for the first sixty hours of maximum demand per month and fd for the balance, it should b'e altered to lid during peak load hours and §d at off-peak load hours, the “peak load hours" to be defined and the two rates to be controlled by a ciock-rate meter.

All new consumers requiring two rates _sbould be provided with a clock time-switch owned by the council, to bo charged to the consumer at the rate of Is per month rental. In order to improve the power factors the distributing system of the electricity department would undertake to make a study of the consumers’ loading and conditions, and substitute more efficient motors, in order that they might benefit by an improvement in their power factor and get monetary credit for a motor that had been installed too large for their woric. This exchange could be done without drawing upon f£ie maintenance or capital accounts. Councillor A. M’Kellar, chairman of the committee, said that ns the system o£ metering in vogue did not reoord the whole of the current used, it was considered fair that the council should bear a third and the consumer two-thirds of the wattless current, and that the power factor should be based on a 90 per cent efficiency. Tho main reason for adopting the new system was to create greater efficiency and stop waste. At tho same time, it was possible for power Users either to instal synchronous condensers or instal motors more closely suited to the work required. _ It was not the intention to build up increased revenue by the new system of metering, and discounts might be possible. The engineer had estimated that an increased revenue might bo expected of about £2OOO per annum. It was estimated that the profit on the electrical undertaking for the year ending March 31, 1920, after providing for depreciation as usual, would he about £2OOO. The new system of charging for wattless current would • come into force in April next, and in the event of the revenue then showing the engineer’s estimate to bo correct, it would be a recommendation to the council to grant a discount to all consumers, on the net amount of their accounts, provided prompt payment was made. The recommendations were adopted.