THE home is the center
of civilization from which 'flows the
attributes which make or unmake a
nation. In the council of nations the
importance of a people can be judged
from the enlightenment to be found in
the homes of that people. The tendency
toward retrogression is always in full
force, and the advancement of a people
as a whole can be accomplished only
under the most favorable conditions.
Americans are now living in what may be
termed the "electrical age," for the
field of usefulness of electrical energy
is being more rapidly developed in
American homes than in the homes of any
other people. In an endeavor to
ascertain the extent to which the
American homes are now wired for
electric service and the proportion of
the people within the present reach of
central-station distribution systems the
ELECTRICAL WORLD has made a detailed
study based upon recent reports from
more than 5,000 electrical generating
companies submitted in connection with
the compilation of the 1920 edition of
the "McGraw Central Station Directory
and Data Book." This study has been very
care-fully made from information
covering the details of electric service
in more than 10,000 cities and towns and
the surrounding country districts. The
summarized results are presented in
Table I.
The central stations of the country
cover at the present time territory
populated by 62,023,400 people, or about
57.3 per cent of the total population of
the United States. Of this population
within reach of central-station service,
about 55.8 per cent live in
electrically lighted houses. Of the
total population of the country,
however, only 33,008,500, or 30.7 per
cent, are enjoying the benefits of
electricity in their homes. There is
a total of 6,291,160 houses wired for
electricity, of which 48.0 per cent
are in the Central States. California
ranks first in number of houses wired
per capita with 79 per cent, while
Mississippi ranks lowest with only
8.4 per cent. The total number of
stores wired was determined to be
1,459,169.
Other estimates of this nature have been
made in the last few years. In 1915
it was estimated that not more than 10
per cent of the residences of the
country were connected with central
stations. The same year the National
Electric Light Association conducted a
survey in which returns from more than
100 cities of a population of 5,000 or
less, taken at random from all parts of
the country, indicated that 58 per cent
of the houses in these cities were
wired. In cities ranging from 5,000 to
10,000 the percentage was 54, and
thirty-two cities with a population of
more than 10,000 or less than 20,000
showed that 60 per cent of the houses
were wired. The Society for Electrical
Development also issued a summary of a
similar survey as of Jan. 1, 1918. This
valuable contribution, entitled
"Customers versus Population," gave the
population reached and the residences
served by the larger central stations.
The statistical department of the
Western Electric Company made a detailed
study of the situation as of Jan. 1,
1918, estimating that 5,000,000 houses
were wired at that time. However, there
seems to be no record of any prior
estimate by states based upon direct
reports of a majority of the operating
companies of the country, and it is
believed that the survey and information
reported herein will be of service to
the industry.
The value of electric service for the
home is now well recognized, and it is
estimated by capable authorities that
about 98 per cent of the houses being
built in cities and towns are wired for
electricity. It is most important,
therefore, that the architect and
contractor should consider carefully the
proper location and proper number of
outlets for lighting fixtures,
sufficient appliance outlets for the
numerous labor-saving devices now used
for heating, cooking and power, as well
as the proper location of the switch
control. To obtain the maximum use of
small household apparatus every
inducement to their operation should be
given, and slip-shod building plans
which do not consider the conveniences
of the occupants should be discouraged.
In anticipation of a large consumption
of electrical energy by electrically
operated household appliances, a
separate wiring system for these devices
should be installed in new houses which
will permit them to be connected to a
separate meter. This enables the central
station to adjust rate schedules when
the demand merits a lower rate and to
encourage the use of electrical
appliances on an attractive basis.
As in all lines of industry central
stations and distributing companies have
been cutting down operating expenses to
a minimum and making a minimum number of
extensions. This enforced economy has
resulted in the elimination of line
extensions which under normal conditions
would be considered essential to the
proper growth of a company. In some
cases the station and line capacity will
not permit large additional load until
new equipment is installed. Such
companies are not encouraging new
residence connections but are
concentrating on the increased use of
small household apparatus by their
present customers. The use of household
electrical devices creates essentially
an off-peak load.
Many cities possessing the necessary
station capacity have undertaken
extensive house-wiring campaigns with
complete success. In Elmira, N. Y., for
instance, the number of houses wired was
raised from 6,000 to 7,500 in one year,
more than three-quarters of the houses
in that city being now electrically
wired. There is, however, little or no
direct relation between the increase in
number of new houses wired and increase
in revenue. This was clearly
demonstrated in Worcester, Mass., in
1917, when the number of wired houses
increased 21.7 per cent while the
revenue increased 32.4 per cent. It is
also quite possible that a selling
campaign will increase the revenue by
the sale of small household appliances,
while additional houses wired may raise
the revenue without the sale of small
household apparatus. Campaigns for
wiring new houses and selling appliances
conducted together make up the ideal
combination.
The diagrams in
Fig. 1
[see above] indicate the saturation
of wired houses in the various sections
of the country. The
illustrations do not, however, indicate
the location of the field of active
operation for new wiring. The East South
Central States show the largest ratio
between wired and unwired houses, but
the North Central, Middle Atlantic and
New England States present the most
fruitful field for future operations.
The present year holds forth large gains
in wired houses in districts where there
is ample generating capacity or where
additional installations are
contemplated. The new building in
1919 was estimated at five billion
dollars, of which about 40 per cent was
for residences, giving about 200,000 new
houses. The building operations in
1920 are estimated at six billion
dollars, of which about two and one-half
billion dollars will be spent on about
240,000 residences. Such construction
offers a tremendous field for domestic
lighting as well as a large growth in
the use of small household electrical
apparatus, and to this field must be
added the old houses, a large quantity
of which will undoubtedly be wired
during the year. There is, however, a
time lag of from six to nine months
after building permits are issued before
the effect of new house installations is
shown from central-station records, so
that building under-taken in the fall of
the year will not appreciably affect the
central-station output of the present
year.
The American farmer, while happy and
satisfied with his surroundings, still
has a secret yearning, with reason, for
some of the comforts which are to be
found in the town and city dwelling.
He is becoming convinced that
electricity offers him light, running
water, labor-saving devices and
sanitation at small cost. Thus the farm
furnishes a field of no small
proportions for electrical development
in the future. Farmers as a whole are
financially able to install electrical
appliances in their houses and barns,
but they have not as yet been fully
educated into the advantages of electric
service.
Three ways are open to the farmer to
get electric service: (1)
Direct from a central-station
transmission line; (2) by a
small, private plant run by a gasoline
engine; (3) by a small private
plant run by water power. In order that
an idea might be obtained of the present
development of the farm-plant industry
extensive correspondence was undertaken
in connection with the present survey.
From various sources actual data and
estimates have been obtained covering
the distribution. of farm plants of
various makes .throughout the
country. While the estimates varied over
wide ranges, the consensus of opinion is
that there were about 340,000 farm
plants in the United States at the
present time, and that from 100,000 to
110,000 plants will be sold during 1920.
The figures given in Table I showing the
number of farm-lighting plants at
present installed in the various states
must not be considered as exact, but are
based on reports received from various
manufacturing concerns and are believed
to represent correctly the proportionate
distribution of farm plants throughout
the country. While there are about
6,400,000 farms in the nation, yet only
about two-thirds of them can be
considered prospects for farm-lighting
plants, on account of their small size,
their unproductiveness or the
personality of the farmer.
Farm lighting opens up a field involving
hundreds of millions of dollars. At an
average rate of $500 for each plant, the
farm-lighting business of 1920 will
amount to $50,000,000 or $55,000,000.
This does not include accessories and
appliances. The installation of lighting
plants on the farm will mean the
installation of sanitary plumbing
fixtures, water-supply equipment and
up-to-date heating apparatus. The
servant problem is especially serious on
the farm, and the farmer's wife will
find a way to obtain various household
labor-saving devices once the electric
service to operate them is available.
One of the primary causes of slow
progress in introducing complete
electric service in the homes of some
sections of the country is the existence
of odd frequencies and odd voltages of
central-station service; that is
residence service at other than 60
cycles and 110 volts. Most small
household devices are designed for
standard ratings. Fig. 2 shows the
location of the central stations of the
country where the service to residences
is at a frequency other than 60 cycles.
Numerous plants of this type are located
in northern New York, Illinois, Indiana
and Michigan, and California possesses a
considerable number. Many of these are
old plants of small rating, operated
under conditions that do not warrant new
or rehabilitated installations. As
transmission networks are extended these
plants will gradually be eliminated or
taken over and their service
standardized. Table II gives the
location of plants with odd voltages.
As a matter of information the kinds of
fuel burned by the various central
stations are included in Table II. The
relation between the use of coal and oil
as a fuel is very clearly indicated.
These statistics are as of Jan. 1, 1919,
and it is probable that later data will
show many changes.