Power conservation makes no difference

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Within August, during the sizzling hot summer, I occasionally used my air-conditioning unit. My wife is a dressmaker, so she uses an industrial serger and a semi-industrial machine, plus ironing and pleating uniforms being made.

All these appliances included three light bulbs in the house with one fluorescent tube light in support of the dressmaking activities for the entire day. There is also an iron used to press pleated uniforms and altered garments. Three wall fans are hung strate-gically during the dress-making activities; one burns all night during the hot August month. I have a complete computer system, including a printer. Our JPS bill came to nearly $8,706.21, with balance brought forward $345.10. The current charges were $8,361.11. This was not too surprising.

What is now surprising is the September bill. Because of the hefty bill in August, we decided to lower the consumption for September's drastically, with vast conservative measures concerning the usage of the appliances. Now, school is fully opened and the dressmaking dwindles downwards. Both sewing machines are hardly used and not even used for some days. The ironing is cut, only done on a Sunday whenever my wife goes to church, most times not at all.

Because of the recent rainy weeks, and most times the day cools down drastically, there is no more need for an air conditioner, so that was totally out of commission. I procured for myself a flat-screen monitor which, too, reduces the consumption of the current. Two of the fans that support the dressmaking in August were hardly used, and they were unplugged. The television that was on almost all night in August had malfunctioned since August and never used in September. The radio amplifier system we utilised was put out of commission, too, and we have had to resort to a small transistor radio.

Extremely shocking

Mr Editor, comparing the August and September bill is horrendous and extremely shocking. The new bill for September we have just received is $8,912.58, with current charges of $8,206.37, having a balance brought forward of $706.21. At least $2,000 should be subtracted from our current charges because of our stance on conserving on electricity. The current charges for September are almost the same as August's.

Now, I am prepared to 'bun the light then', as my drastic conservation measures have proven useless.

Mr Editor, JPS is plunging many Jamaicans into poverty, as their meagre incomes go to the vaults of the JPS. The first assignment for Andrew Holness is not "IMF, IMF, IMF", as Edward Seaga said, "it is JPS, JPS, JPS".

DELROY R. LAWRENCE

Portmore