The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1952-10-23
AVERAGE HOME
TO SAVE 81 CENTS
ON MONTHLY BILL
Rural Consumers Also
To Profit By Proposed
New Electric Rates

Buttons domestic consumers of
electricity will save approximately
1873 per cent on their electric bills
next year if the proposed new rates
are adopted by the Board of Public
Affairs.
This was the first development re-
ported by the Board since it an
nounced three weeks ago that a rate
study had been authorized with a
dew 10 reductions all along the line.
4 James Draper, superintendent of
the municipal light and water plant,
said Monday that the new rates,
which will Undoubtedly be made eff
fective, would save the average resi-
Dental consumer about SO cents per
month on his bill for $50 kilowatt
hours.
Average Bill Now $5.92
For example the average bill in
Bluffton homes is now $5.92. Under
the new rate it will be $51O, and
this is only 10 cents more than the
same amount of power costs from
Central Ohio Light and Power Co.
and eight cents more than the rate
charged by the Ohio Power Co.
"Bluffton consumers might we'll
ask, why not go all the way and re-
duce the rates to the same as those
charged by the larger utilities Dra-
per said. "We want to point out,
however, that everything considered,
Bluffton rates will be lower"
He explained that the municipal
utility provides street lighting, cur
rent for traffic lights, the municipal
building and the park at Buckeye
Lake without cost to the village gov
ernment.
Savings In Taxes
These extra services are paid for
from the pockets of all consumers
rather than as tax upon real prop
lerty owners, Draper explained. If
the village We're to compensate the
Ielectric plant for this expense, il
would have to come from general tax
revenues.
! The announcement of the reduc-
tions in domestic rates came as a
forerunner of other rate changes af-
fecting commercial and industrial
consumers. This study has not been
completed yet by J. S. Sawvel, Find
lay public utility rate consultant.
The rate changes will provide saw
ings in all brackets of consumption
with the exception of the very small
est users. In the first bracket, those
consuming only 25 XVIII, the rate will
actually increase from $1.44 to S1.50.
Draper said that this would affect
only about so consumers out of 1000
in the community.
In other brackets of use savings
will vary from al per cent down to
1874 per cent.
Appliance Dealers To Meet
Bluffton appliance dealers were to
attend a meeting Wednesday evening
to preview the new rates. Of spec
al interest to them will be the fact
that rates are to be reduced appreci-
ably on electric water heaters which,
are controlled to heat during off-peak
periods.
Similar reductions are proposed
for rural consumers of Bluffton's mu-
nicipal power. For example rural
users now paying monthly bills OF
$7.73 will find they can use the same
amount for $500; those using 1894
worth of electricity will buy it for
s8.25.
While the new rates will afford an
appreciable savings to consumers,
members of the Board of Public Af-
fairs have expressed themselves as
feeling that the reductions will actu-
ally result in a greater consumption
of power and the more widespread
use of appliances. This has been the
history of rate reductions elsewhere,
they point out.