The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-01-13
THE METRE SYSTEM.

| N0W Eldu VI P0CkOuluH UQ0
Consumption Of Electric Cur
rent and How Anyone Can
Figure the Cost.
Recently the Frederick Gas and
Electric Light Company installed
Kilowatt metres in all places
using electric current in and about
this city, inauguratiDg a new sys-
tenn of computing the actual use
of the current and providing q
stated rate for same.
Not considering the equity of
the question of cost nor the justice
of the claims for and against that
might be made by either the com
pany or the consumer, it might be
interesting to know how the metre
works and how the rate of charge
is fixed according to the amount
of current consumed.
The meter is a rather ingenious
but not complicated affair, depend
ing for its working upon the pass
ing through it of a current OF
electricity, which it is supposed
to measure with great accuracy.
a glass disk revolves at a speed
depending upon the amount of
current used by incand scent
lights or other electrical appara-
tus. The revolutions of the disk
are recorded by clock work
arrangement of geared wheels
which record on dials the con-
sumption of current.
The style of meter used here
has three dials, divided Into units,
tens and hundreds Klowatt
hours, making it easy for con.
sumers to read it and to regulate
the use of the current. The prin.
ciple is the same as the gas metre
the total of the preceding month
is subtracted from the last total
taken and the result is the con.
sumption for the month just ended.
The metre reads from left to
right-fOr example the middle dial
shows hand pointing to the figure
5, and the right hand dial to l, the
total would be 81 Kilowatt hours
consumption. If your metre read
ing at the end of the month pre-
vious was, say 26 KilOwatts, the
months use of the currentwOuld be
20 KilOwatt hours, which at the
rate of 16 cents per Kilowatt hour,
would amount to $500. This of
course is only an example to show
how the result is obtained.
a customer guaranteeing 30
cents per lamp, whether all are
used or not will be given a dis
count of 40 per cent. on all over
and above that amount shown by
the metre reading If reading the
metre shows that greater amount
of current has been used than
would make, say for twenty lights,
total of So 90, a discount of 40
per cent. is taken Off the extra
amount, making the average cost
abont 9.6 cents per Kilowatt
hour.
Economy in the use of electric
lights is as feasible as with gas
and besides this the less a lamp is
used the longer will be its life
and usefulness. The system of
distributing electricity and gas
differs in that electricity must be
generated all the time the current
is being used, whilst gas is stored
in holder and is ready for use as
desired. OfcOurse where the con-
sumption of the latter is large the
works are busy making it all the
time, but for practical lighting
purposes the dynamOs at the cleo
trio power house must be in motion
all the time the service is reQuir-
ed.
1t is on this basis that the pre-
sent system was inaugurated and
the manager of the company in
Frederick, Mr.. Euright, says it
will be liked better when it is once
understood and has been given a
fair trial. He is ready at all times
to explain any point not under
stood by patrons and says the bet
ter the people know how to read
their own electric and gas metres
the more satisfied customers the
companies will have.
Mrs. Sophia Fitzsimmons, ben
efciary of this late James /.