366 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



factor in overhead lines, and the additional costs to the utility if 

 telephone lines go undeground while power lines stay overhead. 



Another pertinent factor to be taken into account is the added 

 value of property with underground installations. Mortgagors, 

 realtors, and builders evaluated the worth of underground construc- 

 tion in a recent survey on the West Coast as follows : The value added 

 by mortgagors was $150 per lot, $100 per lot by realtors, and $80 by 

 builders. Thus, it would seem that, in addition to aesthetic values 

 involved, real estate with underground distribution lines is a good 

 buy for the builder-developer of a new subdivision. 



However, it must be kept in mind that the economics of under- 

 ground residential distribution is subject to many variables many 

 more than might appear on superficial analysis. Table 1 is a cost 

 analysis for a typical new subdivision. As you can see, the costs of 

 an installation are based on such items as trench construction, types 

 of primary and secondary cables and their connections and service 

 pedestals, the transformers and the number of customers per trans- 

 former. The total cost in this example adds up to $270, which is 

 about $120 more per lot than the present average of overhead costs. 



But, in the underground construction, other variables are en- 

 countered. The soil itself can make a difference, particularly if it 

 is rocky. So can the subdivision layout. The other variables come 

 within the realm of judgment. Each utility will make what it be- 

 lieves to be the best compromise between the economics of the instal- 

 lation and such factors as reliability, safety, its own operating 

 practices, and of course the appearance, or aesthetics, of the 

 installation. One factor in appearance is the necessary transformer. 



[Mr. Wilcox's statement was accompanied by a series of photo- 

 graphs of the devices and installations which he here describes.] 



The most common system employed today is the pad-mounted 

 transformer. Westinghouse has given a lot of attention to the design 

 of its pad-mounted transformers to make them clean and unob- 

 trusive in appearance. But they must still be stationed above ground 

 somewhere in the neighborhood. 



An alternative is a compact pad-mount, much smaller and much 

 less obtrusive and easily concealed with shrubbery. But it does 

 sacrifice some of the operating flexibility provided by the larger 

 transformer. 



A design which we think contributes most to the clean, attractive 

 appearance of a residential street we call the Somerset Design, and 



