Evening star., 1915-12-24
INCREASE IS EXPECTED
IN USE OF ELECTRICITY
Predicted Result of Reduction in
Rates for Cooking and
Heating.
Estimates Of Cost Of Service in
Washington Based on Figures
From Other Cities.

A big increase in tho consumption
Of electricity in the District for heating
ard cooking purposes Is expected to
follow the voluntary action Of the Po-
tomac Electric Power Company in an
nouncing cheaper rates for this service.
| AS domestic users of electricity in
Washington are few compared with
| those of other cities, officials of the
power concern look for the reduced
charges to lead to considerable ex-
pansion of business.
That there will be an increased de-
probable by the public utilities COM
mission. whose action in approving the
new schedule was based primarily upon
the principle that Washington house.
holders are entitled to any economies
that they may be able to effect through
the use of electricity in heating and
cooking.
Estimates of Service Cost.
Estimates of the cost of such serv-
Ice, based upon data obtained from
other municipalities by representa-
tives of both the commission and the
company, indicate that It will average
between 90 cents and u per person per
month.
An inquiry as to the cost Of heating
and cooking in Great Falls, Mont, de-
veloped the fact that 1t averages about
81 n month for each user. In Worcester,
Mass. the cost IL shown to be 81 cents,
and In Salt Lake City, Utah. II cents.
An average of these IL 80 cents per per-
son per month.
Under the Washington rate. which is
10 cents kilowatt hour for the first
ten kilowatt hours used monthly, and
3 cents for current consumed In ex-
cess Of that amount, the cost, according
to officials of the company, should not
exceed 81, and IL more likely to average
about 90 cents q month for each con-
sumner.
Company Ready to Install.
The company is ready to install the
new service at once. In accordance
with its schedule on file with the utili-
tics commission, a minimum charge Of
SO cents a month will be maintained for
each meter placed In service. This
charge. however. will apply only where
consumers have meters for both light
ing and heating, In which cases the
and a half a month. II consumer
uses electricity for heating only, he
will be required to pay a minimum
charge Of one dollar a month.
In arriving at the conclusion that the
rates proposed by the Potomac COM
pany are fair she utilities commission
the cost Of similar cleo
trio service in large number Of cities.
including the following: Duluth.
Mimi; Superior, Wis: Boston. Pitts
field and Reading. Mass; London. Eng
land: Victoria. B. c.; Hartford, Conn;
Atlanta. Ca: Altoona and Meadville.
Pa: Des Moines. Iowa; Detroit. Mich. !;
Kansas City. Mo-; Los Angeles, Cal;
Redding and visalta. CAL: Memphis,
Tenn: Omaha, Nsb:; Portland, Ore:
Salt Lake City. Utah; Seattle and
Spokane. Wash; Helena. Mont: Kirk
wood. ILL.,. and cities in Idaho.
Present Demand Limited. -
The present demand in the District
for electricity for heating and cook
ing purposes IL so limited that the
utilities commission 10 expected to
have practically a new field of rates to
supervise. The new charges are more
or less of an experiment from the
company's standpoint. and the effect Of
their operation will be watched closely