USE OF ELECTRICITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26540, 15 August 1947, Page 4

USE OF ELECTRICITY

METER BASIS FOR CERTAIN FLAT-RATE SUPPLIES COMMITTEE’S PROPOSAL At the request of the City Council, the Electricity Committee has given further consideration to placing certain flat-rate supplies of power on a meter basis,' states the report of the committee to be presented to a meeting of the council on Monday night. An electricity order issued by the Government covering North Island supply makes its compulsory to meter all water heaters and to fit thermostats, and this order has now been virtually extended to the South Island to cover all supply that is wasteful of electricity, the report continues. The flat rate offers no inducement to save power and during periods of restriction there is no satisfactory or fair method of giving rebates. The committee recommends that all water-heating and heat-storage ranges charged on a flat rate basis be changed to the meter rate as opportunity offers. There are at present 798 heat-storage ranges and 1156 water heaters on the flat-rate basis, compared with 6039 standard ranges and 10,511 water heaters which are metered. In some cases additional meters will not be necessary as supply can be made through existing meters. The committee proposes that the rate for such metered supply after the change-over be based on the average rate for such supply at present—Jd a unit for water heaters and 0.274 d a unit in the case of heatstorage ranges. On this basis, consumers will pay no more than at present but, by economising in the use of their appliances, will be able to make some saving.