The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-07-30
coeT OF ELECTRIC LIGHT.
Eight Capcle-Power Lamp will Burn all Day
far 2 l-2 Cents.

Eight Can6le-POwer Lamp Will Bum all Day
for 2 IL Cents.
When one ia able to figure out the ex-
act cost Of an incandescent lamp for one
hour then it is an easy matter to under
stand the regular monthly electric hght
bill. In this way you can inquire OUT toe
Individual lamps which are costing the
most and correct any errors IN the iight-
ing system. a. -,
You pay for electricity by the KILL
watt. A kilowatt is merely thousand
watts. Watts is an arbitrary figure IN
electricity meaning the same as morse
power" in mechanics. Everyone unoer-
stands what ten horse power means. IL
means that motor, or engine, VIII pro-
duce energy equal to the work OF ten
horses. Now TAG watts are equal to one
horse power. Therefore one watt Is
equal to LAS of horse power. A thous-
and watts, or one kilowatt, is equal to
one and third horse power. II your
electric light bill says you have consum-
ed thirty kilowatts 1t means that YOU
have used forty horse power OF electrl-
city during the month. Ii the monthly
rate is 10 cents kilowatt you will pay
for this power $500, which Is very little
indeed for the use of 'forty horses" for
one month.
Now let US figure out the cost of a sin
gle electric lamp Every one should
know by this time that the Mazda lungs,
ten lamp, which was perfected several
years ago, will give twice the amount OF
light for the same money as the old fash
Toned carbon lncandescent lamp. Any
one using these old carbon lamps can cut
his monthly electric light bill exactly in
half by throwing the old lamps away and
installing tungsten lamps. Not only will
he reduce the bill but he will get bet
ter and winter light for his money.
Assuming that tungsten lamps are in
stalled, what will they cost per lamp?
Look on the bulb of the lamp. You will
find there little paster giving the num-
Der of watts" required by the lamp.
Let US take the smallest lamp first. 1t
is rated at "ten watts" and will give
eight candle power Of light. If the rate
per kilowatt in your city is 10 cents per
kiowatt for one hour, or 1000 watts.
then it will cost OOOO1 of a cent for one
watt and 0.001 of a cent for ten watts
for one hour. At this rate the ten watt
lamp could be left burning for 100 hours.
or nearly four days and half. before 1t
would burn up ten cents worth OF cleo
tricity.
The next size is the Is watt lamp
which gives about ten candle-power of
light. This lamp will consume fifteen
cents worth of electricity in 100 hours
of continuous burning at the ten cent
rate. In one hour it will consume OOl5
cents worth of electricity. In 10 hours
of continuous service it will have burned
up only 0015, or cent and a half's
worth of current. The next size lamp is
25 watt, or twenty candle power lamp
This lamp will burn for forty hours be-
fore consuming killowatt, or ten cents
worth of current.
The largest practical sized lamp for
use in the home is the forty watt lamp.
This lamp should be used only where
large amount of light is necessary for
short Intervals 1t will burn continuous
ly for rs hours for kilowatt of current.
Now that we know exactly what each
lamp costs per hour care should be taken
in the placing and distribution OF the
lamps to see that The smaller sizes are
used where the longest light service is
required. On the porch, IN the halls,
the bathrooms, etc, where only small
amount of light is needed but where the
lamps are allowed to operate for hours,
the small ten-watt lamp should be used,
as one # these lamps can be used for a
hundred hours continuously for cost OF
but ten cents, In the bed rooms, den,
for the reading table etc, where little
more light is necessary, the fifteen and
twenty-five watt lamps should be placed.
For the kitchen, diningroom and living
room, where maximum amount OF llght
is required, but for shorter hours OF
service. the forty watt lamps are entire
ly suitable, or two of the twenty-five
watt lamps may be used to give better
distribution of light. 1t is always better,
whenever possible, to use two or more
of the smaller lamps about the room in
stead of one large lamp, in order to Sc,
cure a good distribution of light and
avoid the glare of a single high candle
power lamp.