Evening star., 1945-01-21
Trip Through Pepco Plant Shows How Reductio,
In Use of Lights in D. c. Homes Will Save Coal
OfficioI Points Out
Wasted Electricity
Boosts Consumption
BY FRANCIS P. DOUGLAS.

I
When Washingtonians wake up
these dark mornings and switch on
the light, that light goes on be-
cause, in anticipation of just such
an action, coal has been fed into
furnace at one of the power
plants.
An extra amount of coal also has
been fed into that furnace because
of the habit of some people to step
from their bedrooms into the hall
and switch on the light there. With
that illumination they go down.
stairs and on go the lights in the
downstairs hall.
Next, the kitchen lights are
flicked on and the coffee is started.
Something is needed from the din
ing room, and the lights there are
switched on. With the coffee
started, back upstairs goes this
Washington resident to dress for
the days work, leaving a trail of
unused illumination behind.
Lights Require Coal.
Because of that illumination in
thousands of homes the hand on
the load indicator at the power
house moves to the right across the
dial, measuring the demand you
and your neighbors make on the
power output of the Potomac Elec-
trio Power Co. And in advance of
that demand coal and more coal
has been fed into the furnaces-coal
needed for turning out the ma
terials of war and which would be
used for that purpose if it were
not required to generate the power
that lights the lamps in Washing
ton homes.
Every light you see burning means
the consumption of coal, counting
out the extremely small amount of
Hydro-electric power Washington
gets. In general, every time you
don't switch on your lights you are
saving coal.
The average household uses cleo
tricity which requires half-ton of
coal year for its generation, ac-
cording to Harold A. Brooks, vice
president and commercial manager
of Pepco. That doesn't seem a large
amount, but there are 200 900 house
holds in Washington. If each one
reduces consumption of electricity
by 10 per cent it means saving of
10 900 tons of coal year, Mr.. Brooks
pointed cut.
/ Saves 700 Tons Yearly.
Switching off street lights Is
minutes earlier in the morning and
turning out one of the two lights on
double light standards will save TOO
| tons of coal a year This is the eSti-
mate of Col Joseph D. Arthur, jr.,
Assistant Engineer Commissioner.
Not only would these amounts of
coal be saved, but also saved would
be the work of the miner, whose out
put could 60 to war plants. and the
work of the railroads hauling that
coal.
| 1t is hard to visualize the relation
between the coal pile on the bank
of the Anacostia River at the Buz-
zard Point plant of the Potomac
Electric Power Co. and the light
beside your bed or the light that
burns in your front hall most of the
evening.
To try to bridge that gap re-
porter for The Star went to the
Buzzard Point plant and enlisted
the aid OF H. H. Harrington, the
superintendent who showed him
the plant and explained the opera
ton. There, ON the wall, was the
load indicator. measuring the power
generated to satisfy the demands.
Generators hummed motors
turned fans and other equipment,
red and green signal lights glowed,
and gauges and indicators measured
the various steps in power produc-
ton. No coal was seen, until it
was pointed out through glass port
| in chute which carried it from
overhead bins to crusher, from
which it was blown into the fur
naceS.
Furnaces Heart of Plant
| Then it was realized that all
these generators, motors, and other
equipment were activated hv the
power that came from the coal that
the furnaces. seven stories high. in
which the coal was burned to gen.