Evening star., 1946-01-23

Virginia Orders
Vepco Rates
CutApriI |
Reductions Expected
To Result in Sovines
OF 81 1868, 900 a Year
BY the Associated Press.

VI 9I ,366,UOO q Year
By the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. 23.-Rate
reductions that will save Virginia
customers of the Virginia Electric
d Power Co. approximately $780,
oo0 a year, beginning April 1, were
announced yesterday by the State
Corporation Commission.
The new schedules, which repre-
sent the third step taken by the
commission to establish uniform
rates throughout the territory of
Vepco since its merger with the
Virginia Public Service Co. in Nav.
1914, are the result Of Investigations
OF utility rates that the commission
has made annually for a number of
years.
A report will be made soon, the
commission said, on a similar study
OF the schedules of the Appalachian
Electric Power Co. and other utili-
ties.
Nearby Area Excepted.
The new reductions, announced in
a statement by the three commits
sioners, Chairman Harvey B. Apper-
son, H. Lester Hooker and L. Nc
Carthy Downs, will be applicable
throughout the Virginia territory of
the company, with the exception of
the Alexandria Arlington area,
where rates previously had been re-
duced while that territory was
served by Virginia Public Service Co.
The revisions will save residential
consumers approximately $4,000 a
year, commercial and other larger
customers $4,000, municipalities on
light rates $4,000, and the Com
monwealth, chiefly in rates to State
institutions, $4,000.
The commission said the first stepI
in the move to establish uniformity
of rates throughout Vepco territory
were taken in July, 1914, when re-
ductions were made amounting tol
more than $390,00O a year. InI
April, 1945, additional reductions of
approximately $435,00 a year were
made, and the new reductions ef-
fettive in April will bring the total
savings to this company's customers
in Virginia since the merger to
more than s2,193, 900 per year." the
commission noted.
Tax Repeal Considered.
The commissioners said that the
REPEAL of the Federal excess profits
tax was taken into consideration in
arriving at the new schedules.
They did not attempt to estimate
the number of individual customers
wso would benefit, but said a large
portion of the approximately $780,
900 residential customers of the
company would be affected, as well
as larger consumers.
Here is the commissions break
down of the savings by classes of
customers:
II. The present Vepco residential
rate, schedule No. l, is being reduced
and made applicable uniformly
throughout the entire territory of
the company, except the Alexandria
Arlington area. Reductions in old
vepco territory will be about $751;
600; in old VPS territory about $173,-
900, or total of approximately
$4,000 per year.
Commercial Rate Reduced.
70. The present Vepco general
service or commercial rate, schedule
IA, is being reduced and is effective
uniformly throughout the entire
territory of the company. Reduc-
tions will amount to approximately
s248, 900 per year.
"3. The present Vepco general
service or small power rate, sched-
ule No. 5, is being reduced and made
applicable uniformly throughout the
entire territory of the company.
Reductions will amount to approx
mately 1921 900 per year.
a. The present Vepco general
service or large power rates, sched-
ule No. ga, schedule No. ga and
schedule No. 10-A, are being extend
ed and made applicable uniformly
throughly the entire territory of the
company. Reductions will amount
to approximately 1921 900 per year.
IS. The present street-lighting
rates to municipalities are being re-
duced and extended throughout the
territory in Virginia. Reductions
will amount to approximately $36, 900
per year.
''6. Reductions in rates for cer-
tain services to the Commonwealth
of Virginia are being made, amount
ing to approximately $4,000 per
year..
Residential Rate in Detail.
The new residential rate schedule
No. will be so cents on each of
the first so kilowatt hours, 29 on
the next 100, 1.9 on the second 100,
and Is on that in excess of $50 kilo-
watt hours. This compares with the
old Vepco territory rate of so on
the first so kilowatt hours, 3.5 on
the next 100, and 1.5 on that in ex-
cess Of $50. The old VPS territory
schedule, except in Alexandria
Arlington, was so cents on the first
SO kilowatt hours, 3.5 on the next
400, 20 on the second 100, and Is
on that over $50.
The present Vepco territory in
caudes the cities of Buena Vista,
Charlottesville, Clifton Forge, Fred
ericksburg, Hampton, Hopewell,
Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg,
Portsmouth. Richmond, South Nor
folk, Staunton, Suffolk, Williams
burg and Alexandria and more than
half the counties of the State, in
Guiding all of Eastern Virginia ex-
cept West Point and the Northern
Neck. and extending south to the
North Carolina. line, west to Alta
vista and Covington, and north to
the District of Columbia.