Domestic Consumers Use Greatest Amount Of Electric Power

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27386, 11 May 1950, Page 3

Domestic Consumers Use Greatest Amount Of Electric Power

Domestic users consumed 63.8 per cent, of the total electric power in the Waitaki Electric Power Board's area for the year ended March 31, 1950. This information is contained in a survey carried out by the board, which purchased 29,336,842 units for t'-e period. The consumption for domestic purposes was 6.8 per cent, above that in the Dunedin supply area. Water heating is responsible for the heaviest use, 35 per cent., or 10.258.816 units, being consumed. Next in line comes power for domestic purposes, other than water heating, which accounted for 28.8 per cent., or 7.857.346 units. The consumption of power by electric motors, both rural and industrial, was 4.433,787 units, or 15.1 per cent, of the total units used last year. A surprising feature of the survey Is that line losses accounted for 3,952,751 units, or 13.5 per cent, of the total. In the ordinary commercial establishment lighting consumes by far the greatest amount of electricity, 1,090,880 units, or 3.27 per cent., being used in the period under survey. This is followed by commercial water heating, which accounted for 739.488 units, or 2.52 per cent., while commercial heating consumed 338.363 units, or a percentage of 1.15. Units spent on commercial cooking totalled 277,925, or 0.95 per cent. Working down the list, street lighting is third from the bottom with a percentage of 0.81, 238.133 units being used last year, while veranda lighting accounted for 49,411 units, or 0.17 per cent. Other uses to which electricity is put accounted tor 99,942 units, or 0.34 per cent.