Evening star., 1928-12-06
Domestic Current Cost Is
Reduced From So to 5.2
Per KiIoWatt Hour.
COMMERCIAL USERS
ARE BENEFITED MOST
Reconnection Fee of So Gets Com
mission Approval-Schedule
Effective January /.

The Public Utilities Commission to-
day authorized reduction in the rates
of electricity involving a drop from SO
to So cents per kilowatt hour for
domestic uses.
All classes of electric rates underwent
reductions, which it is estimated will
total $625,O61.99 during 1929, over the
company'S returns in 1928. The 1928
returns, it is estimated, will yield the
company $9,407O2626. The greatest
benefactors from the reductions will be
commercial users coming under sched-
ule c furnishing electricity for public
lighting and motors in apartment build
ings where no private generating plants
are installed.
While authorizing the new lower rates,
the commission also gave the Potomac
Electric Power Co., permission to charge
fee of 81 for reconnectoin in each case
where the power has been cut off for
failure to pay bills on time. There were
1885 such cut-otfs during the current
year and the company claims that the
average reconnection cost was $2.35.
Effective ON January Bills.
The new rates will be effective on bills
rendered after January l, 1929, regard
less of whethr the electricity paid for
was consumed wholely or in part in De-
cember, 1928.
The changes in the rates are sum-
married. in the following table:
Schedule A, for any residential pur-
pose. Reduced from SO to So cents
primary rate. The secondary rate of
As cents per kilowatt hour for the elec-
tricity consumed monthly in excess of
the first 100 hours of the connected load
is abolished and all electricity supplied
under the primary rate. This represents
a reduction of 1924 4,591.25, or 11.18 per
cent of the current receipts.
Schedule B, for separately metered
electric service for commercial use
other than lighting. The primary rate
is reduced from So to So cents per
kilowatt hour, with no change In Sec
ondary rate, a reduction Of $7,349.82,
or 3.87 per cent. s4as,
schedule c. For public lighting and
motors in apartment buildings having
no private generating plants. The pri-
mary rate is reduced from So to- ST.
cents for the first 400 kilowatt hours.
For the next $50 kilowatt hours the rate
is reduced from SIS to cents. For
the next 1000 kilowatt hours the rate
remains unchanged at cents and for
the consumption in excess of $50 kilo-
watt hours the rate is reduced from
25 to 81 cents This yields a reduc-
ton of 79,948.41, or 1851 per cent.
5.67 Per Cent Decrease.
Schedule D, for general lighting power
and other commercial services. The
primary rate is reduced from ST to 81
cents and no other changes are made.
This will reduce the price of this service
$176, ,491.79, or SGT per cent.
Schedule E, for electric service used
for any commercial service where the
demand contracted for Is not less than
20 kilowatts. Schedule E was divided
into two new schedules to be known as
Schedule E low tension, and Schedule L
high tension.
There were no changes In the demand
charges under schedule e, but the third
step, affecting use in excess of 10000
kilowatt hours under the energy charge,
was reduced from 2 to 19 cents per
kilowatt hour and the fifth step involv-
ing use in excess of 100000 kilowatt
Continued on Page 2, Column A.