The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-07-13

SO11A1CNLlCut ARkLlb CS CUWCE COIIls pany officials has beee to find better rate to sVpplant the fixed charge system currently affecting 92 per cent of its customers. Experts of the company have been working on such 8 plan since last fall. That the new rates reflect the policy of the company which has seen reductions aggregating $618,000 annually dur ing the years 1881 to 1887 is explain ed in the announcement of MT. Allen.
 Samples of the savings to the consumers in the low income group are especially impressive. For in- stance, the householder with 600 square feet of area using 16 kilo- watthours a month formerly would receive bill for $1.54 for this elec- tricity. His new bill will be $1.35, or a saving of 124 per cent. A householder with 700 square feet of area using 20 kilowatthours for merly would pay $1.78, now $1.49, under the new rate, saving of 16.3 per cent.
 Taking 300 square feet as average (although the figure is slightly low) space for consumers in this group, use of 25 kilowatthours formerly cost $1.96 monthly, now will cost $1.67, a saving of 14.4 per cent.
 Manager Allen Reports
 MT. Aliens announcement of the rate change was made today as fol- lows:
 "It has always been the desire of this company to have our rates, methods of operation and general policies conform as nearly as possi- ble to the wishes of the majority of our customers. It has not always been easy for us to determine just how the majority of our customers have felt about some of these prob lems because there has often been an honest difference of both view point and opinion among the many customers who have been good enough to discuss these problems with us.
 The Area or Flat Charge Form
 of Rate Withdrawn
 We have been conscious for some time that considerable number of our customers have disliked the Area or Flat Charge form of rate. We have repeatedly declared that if we found a better rate we would promptly adopt it provided we could feel reasonably sure that it would be satisfactory to the great majority of our customers. We feel that we now have such rate and, there- fore, are glad to announce the fol- lowing changes:
 A New and Better Rate for Our
 Limited Use Customers
 Effective August 1st, new rate which will be more acceptable to them is announced for our Limited Use, or No. l Rate Customers in which group 92% of all the House. hold Customers in the Waterbury District are included. Under this new rate there will be no Area or Flat Charge. The new rate is as follows:
 6 Kilowatthours or less ......
 .$1 .00 per month
 Additional kilowatthours. ...
 .3.5c per kilowatthour
 A New and Better Rate for Our
 Partial Use Customers
 Effective August 1st, new and better rate is likewise announced for our Partial Use or No. 2 Rate Customers. The new rate is as fol- lows
 50 kilowatthours or less. .....
 $3.75 per month
 Additional kilowatthours ...
 .2.5c per kilowatthour
 The present Low Rate for Electric Range Use will still apply.
 Under each new rate all custom CTS who use the same amount of electricity will be billed exactly the same amount regardless of the size of the homes, there being no Area or Flat Charge included in their bill.
 Our Rate Policy
 It has been the established policy of this Company to make reductions in rates as often as business condi- tions and the maintenance of the good credit of the Company permit. In accordance with this policy in the period from 1881 to 1887 reduc- tions have been made each year which, computed on the volume of business transacted during the year in which each reduction became ef- fective, aggregate $612,000 per an- mum. If the rates in effect January 1, 1881 were applied to the 1887 volume the resulting saving to the customers would, of course, be sub- stantially greater.
 The rate changes now announced have been under consideration by us since last fall and would have been made at an earlier date had 1t not been for the business depression through which we have been pass ing. The rate redpction which will result from them will amount to $40, ,O0O per year in the Waterbury District, including Beacon Falls, Middlebury, Monroe, Naugatuck, Oxford, Seymour, Southbury. Wa tertown, Wolcott and Woodbury.
 Cost Electricity for Our
 Limited Use Customers
 Quite apart from the satisfaction which we hope our customers will have in the changed form of our rate, many of them who have con- fined their use of service as far as possible will welcome the fact that after so little use as 6 kilowatt hours per month the very low rate of 3 1-2 cents per kilowatt hour is available to them. We are confident that our Limited Use Customers will feel that with this new and low rate they will be able to use more electric service than heretofore for improved lighting, radio, and the many labor saving appliances that -~. xaAuv nxyn Ia H%1a