Evening star., 1933-02-16
CONSUMERS SAVED
$562,1@ IN NEW
POWER SCHEDULES
Higher Brackets Affected by
Rates Proposed at Open
Utilities Hearings.
SO DOMESTIC PRIMARY
CHARGE is UNCHANGED
Pepco Proposes $s9,10e Cut From
Bills of Domestic Users, Re.
duction of 2.S Per Cent.

The Potomac Electric Power Co. today
submitted to the Public Utilities Com
mission at open hearings two sets of
new rate schedules designed to cut
$562,195 from the electric bills Of their
consumers during 1888. In neither
schedule is the domestic primary rate
Of 3.9 cents per kilowatt hour changed.
The savings are effected in this and
most Of the other schedules by reduc-
tons In the higher brackets Of con-
sumption.
The schedule most favorable to the
domestic users proposed to cut S99, ,106
from their bills, reduction Of 2.8 per
cent, by setting up the following sched-
ule: 39 cents per kilowatt hour for
the first so hours, SO cents for the next
so, 29 cents for the next so and 2
cents for all over $50 kilowatt hours.
The present schedule follows:
First so kilowatt hours, 3.9 cents per
hlowatt hour; next so, 3.8 cents per
kilowatt hour, and all In excess of 100
kilowatt hours, cents per kilowatt
hour.
$48,108 Proposed Reduction.
The other domestic schedule sug-
geSted proposes to cut $48,108, or 1.3
per cent Of the bills of domestic con-
sumers by the following set Of rates:
3.s cents per kilowatt hour for the
f1rst so hours, 3.8 cents for the next
so, 3 cents for the next so and cents
fJr all In excess Of $50.
A The rest of the schedules are vir-
tually identical except that If the
smaller cut for the domestic schedule
should be accepted by the commission,
the difference will 60 into the CONNER
cial schedule known as Schedule D.
Schedule x, which covers domestic
uses other than lighting, such as power
for refrigeration and electric ranges and
the like, the company does not pro-
pose to change. The same is true Of
several of their other commercial sched-
ules known as Schedules B, G and H.
Schedule D, the principal commercial
schedule, will reduce the bills of 1922
customers by $206,562. or Sc per cent,
II the larger cut in the domestic sched-
u]e is accepted. If the smaller domes-
tic cut is taken. then these CONNER
cial customers will have their bills re-
duced $249,723, or ST. per cent.
Under the first proposal the rates
for Schedule D will be 3.8 cents per
3.6 cents for the next $50, 81 cents for
the next 5000, and 2 cents for all in
excess of $3.50. The alternative pro-
posal for Schedule d Is 3.8 cents for
the first 100 hours, SO cents for the
next $50, 81 cents for the next $500,
and cents for all in excess Of 2.750.
Reductions in Maryland.
The company proposed to reduce the
bills of 922 Maryland domestic CUSTOM
ers by $1,652, or 5 per cent, by new
schedule which is identical with the
District domestic schedule, except that
for the first SO hours the price Is 10
cents per 6lowatt hour instead Of SO.
The bills of its Maryland commercial
customers will receive a reduction OF
$443, or 81 per cent by introducing
schedule identical with the District
commercial schedule, except that the
price for the first hundred hours is
7.8 instead of 38 cents
Under schedule e for wholesale COM
mercial low tension and schedule L
for wholesale commercial high tension
service, the company proposes to rate its
customers monthly instead Of an
nually to determine fixed charges
which are paid in addition to charges
for the current. This new scheme plus
reduction in rates is resigned to save
the customers taking schedule E $45,-
034, or 4.9 per cent and those under
schedule L $36 6,285, or SO per cent. The
old, except that the price for the first
1880 hlowatt hours is changed from
1.9 to 1.8 cents. The new schedule L
h also identical with the old except
that the primary rate Is reduced from
1.5 to IA cents.
The schedules offer a reduction OF
$50, SO on street light bills of which
the District will benefit to the extent of
$4,000, the balance going to lights
owned by the Federal Government and
the State Of Maryland.
Expert on Schedules.
The proceedings today took the form
OF testimony offered by William Nc
Clellan OF the electrical manufacturing
and designing firm of Stone g. Webster.
He had been retained by the Potomac
Electric Power Co. as an expert to pre-
pare the schedules.
The gross amount of the reduction
was dictated by the terms Of the new
sliding scale agreed upon by the COM
mission and the power company after
the latter had Abandoned its court
hight designed to challenge the power
OF the commission to fix rates outside
OF those fixed in previously existing
court decree
Byers NICK. Bachman, accountant Of
the commission, testified that the COM
pany's rate base in 1892 was s58, ,728, ,O31,
on which 1t earned a net return of
S5,170, ,304 or 3S per cent
w. j. TeweS, a member of the Mary
land Public Service Commission, sat
with the members of the local commits
sion at the hearing