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WINNETKA WEEKLY TALK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1922 3 Municipal Column Edited by the Village Manager and stokers, the plant being located about 60 feet below the street level, REPORT ON WINNETKA'S MU- NICIPAL ELECTRIC PLANT (As Presented at Meeting of Illinois Municipal League.) Winnetka has operated a municipal electric plant since 1900, at which time electric generating equipment was placed in the pumping station of the water department for the purpose of supplying current for street light- ing. Commencing in 1901, surplus power was sold for commercial light- ing. This portion of the business has grown until now "the tail wags the dog" and but 5.4 per cent of the elec- trical output is used for street light- ing. The original investment in plant equipment and in overhead lines, amounting to about $17,000, was fi- nanced by a general tax levy, and has since been repaid to the general fund. The initial investment was less than would ordinarily have been required, due to a favorable franchise with the Chicago Telephone Company where- by the poles of the telephone com- pany in the public streets were made the property of the Village of Win- netka, with the right to use them for electrical circuits. The present book value of the electric property is $258,- 643.08, nearly all of which has been provided out of surplus earnings of the department. The present generating station, hav- ing a total capacity of 1690 k. v. a, is modern in every respect, being equipped with horizontal condensing steam turbines, direct connected to electric generators operatig at 2300 volts, two phase. The boiler plant con- sists of two new 400 H. P. Springfield water tube boilers and one 300 H. P. Heine boiler, giving a total nominal capacity of 1100 boiler H. P.; boilers are provided with superheaters, chain grate stokers and steam jet ash con- veyors. The plant has a full equip- ment of auxiliary devices such as au- tomatic feed water control, automatic damper and stoker regulators, flow meters, carbon-dioxide recorders and recording electrical switchboard in- struments. When the boilers recently installed have been fully tested out, it is expected that a coal consump- tion of 3.5 lbs. per kilowatt hour will be attainable. Because of the fact that the plant is located on the shore of Lake Michigan, for the purpose of securing an ample supply of condensing water, and is in a high grade residential sec- tion, it is not feasible to deliver coal to the plant by rail. However, coal which is hauled by truck, is fed eco- nomically by gravity to the bunkers on the lake shore. The cost of de- livery of coal from railroad siding to plant bunkers averaged 69.5¢ per ton for the year ending March 31, 1922. Two inch Illinois screenings are burned. The commercial load on the plant being largely residential in character, with little idustrial power, the load factor would ordinarily be low, but because of the fact that the water de- partment is combined with the elec- tric utility, and all water is pumped electrically by induction motor-driven centrifugal pumps, a load factor of some 40 per cent is attainable. The municipal pumping load forms a most desirable connection, inasmuch as the maximum demand, occurring during the summer months, is not coincident with the lighting peak in December, and the resulting investment in gen- erating equipment is considerably lessened. . The electric plant supplies electric service to a population of about 8,000 people and provides energy for the water supply of a population of some- thing over 12,000. There were 2132 meters connected to the lines on Dec. 1, 1922. The electric and water depart- ments are operated jointly as far as supervision and employees are con- cerned, but a careful separation of operating costs and income is made in the accounting system so that each utility stands on its own feet. The water department and the Village cor- porate are treated as consumers of the electric department, and all energy furnished is billed out in exactly the same manner as to any other con- sumer. The rate schedule provides for light- ing service, for power service, for electric range service, for street light- ing, and for power for pumping. The lighting rate is the block form, be- ing 10c net per kilowatt hour for the first 100 kilowatt hours, 9¢ per Kkilo- watt hour for the next 100 kilowatt hours, and 8c per kilowatt hour for all in excess. The power rate includes a demand charge of 75c¢ per connected horse-power, with an energy charge of 5¢ per kilowatt hour for the first 100 kilowatt hours, 4c per kilowatt hour for the next 100 kilowatt hours, and 3c per kilowatt hour for all in excess. The rate for electric range service is 5¢ per kilowatt hour. The Village cor- porate is charged 6.5¢ per kilowatt hour for energy used for street light- ing and the water department is charged 3c per kilowatt hour for cur- rent delivered to the bus-bars at the plant for electric pumping. The aver- age cost of production, including gen- eration, distribution, general expense and depreciation for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1922, was 4.52¢ per kilowatt hour sold, with coal averag- ing $5.82 per ton delivered for the year, and common labor at 65c¢ per hour. Although the utility is not under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Com- merce Commission, being a municipal plant, we have considered it proper to be fully governed by the service rules formulated by the Commission with regard to voltage regulation, periodic meter testing, etc. During the past two years, advantage has been taken of the low price of copper to reinforce the distribution system to provide proper voltage conditions un- der an ultimate load ten years in ad- vance. Rules affecting consumers are en- forced strictly and impartially, par- ticularly with reference to payment of discounts and meter deposits. Ser- vice complaints are handled system- atically, are promptly investigated and are reported on by letter to the consumer. Meters are tested without charge, in case of serious question as to meter registration. It is our ex- perience that a liberal policy with regard to motor testing results in a great reduction in the number of ac- tual requests for motor tests. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 1922, the total output of the elec- tric utility was 2,187,883 kilowatt hours, with a gross revenue of $138,- 583.94. The operating costs, includ- PHONE WINNETKA 110 Cy HARRY PORTER Furniture Moving Expressing Shipping and Packing SPECIAL TRIPS to CITY MOTOR SERVICE 845 SPRUCE ST., WINNETKA ing a depreciation charge of $9,013.- 68, were $85,682.85, leaving a net profit of $52,901.09. After deducting the six per cent dividend on the value of the electric property paid to the Village corporate and transferred to the general fund, amounting to $13,- 054.77, there remained a net surplus of $38,846.32. During the year, $41,963.62 wag ex- pended for new construction, largely additional generating equipment and distribution system copper to take care of the rapidly increasing demand! on the system. It has been the policy of the Village to place the surplus earnings back into the property, rather than to operate at reduced rates and provide for extensions by bond issues. During the past five where an electric utility can be oper- ated on a strictly business basis, with no political interference, the factors which affect its financial success are not different from those applying to privately owned utilities, and that mu- nicipal ownership under these condi- tions is feasible and results in greater satisfaction to the municipality and its consumers. DR. WENDELL A. DIEBOLD OSTEOPATHIC SANATOLOGIST I teach you how to get well and keep well. 797 Elm St. Winnetka Tel. Win. 1767 39 50. Stats B64) Hrs. 9 to 12a. m. Eveni DEARBORN venings by 4936 appointment only vears, the operating surplus has been just sufficient to provide for needed extensions, the rates being substan-. tially the same as those of the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois operating on three sides of us. Our experience at Winnetka leads us to believe that in a municipality PAINT All Sise Cans, ""ubes, Special Colors You Can Do Better Here Than Elsewhere RASMESEN'S PAINT STORE WINN 344 3 WW Season's Greetings! 1 | =] --] = mean them. and Happy Neto Phone Winnetka E wouldn't pay good money for this space to extend to our friends best wishes for the season if we did not sincerely We sincerely wish you a most Prosperous Year 232 SUL TLS] 6 PROUTY ANNEX Le] EXPRESSING &'MOVING CO. WINNETKA , ILL. Winnetka State Bank Join our Liberty Christmas Savings Club--Start at Once Make It a New Year's Resolution Buy Bonds--Invest at least a part of your Savings inJSafe Bonds that will yield you 5 to 6; 9, se] an When You Invest-- GO TO YOUR LOCAL BANKER He is your logical adviser in all financial affairs Get a Safety Deposit Box and Put Your Valuable Papers in a SAFE PLACE. $3.00 Per Year Make Another New Year's Resolution! DO YOUR BANKING IN WINNETKA AT THE WINNETKA STATE BANK We wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year WINNETKA STATE BANK 4 bi A i ----