MANUFACTURED GAS IN THE HOME. 7 
A comprehensive study of the problem must make irresistible the 
conclusions that — 
a. Electric cooking is a luxury for a limited few for whom re- 
duced rates — except for quantity used — can not be justified in social 
justice and nondiscrimination to all consumers. 
b. Electric heating of houses would be a gross waste rather than 
a conservation of fuel resources and so prohibitive in cost to users 
as to be beyond all consideration. 
Therefore gas and not electricity must be depended upon for the 
cooking and house-heating service of the urban public for the future 
and the manufactured-gas industry must meet this increasing public- 
service obligation. 
The possibilities of hydroelectric power are greatly overrated by 
the public generally. Hydroelectric power is not of itself, and under 
all conditions, even when the water power is widely available, more 
economical and cheaper than steam power. Water-power develop- 
ment can not, therefore, substantially change! the electrici cost situation. 
HOW ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING WOULD WASTE COAL.* 
A week’s series of 21 meals, all of different menus, each for five 
people, were cooked with electricity. Exactly the same meals were 
then cooked with manufactured gas. The total weekly fuel consump- 
tions for the 21 meals were as follows : * * 7 
Electricity 44 kw. h. 
Manufactured gas (515 B. t. u.) 532 cu. ft. 
Pounds of coal. 
Taking the average coal consumption — allowing for transmission losses 
and low load factor conditions at 4 pounds to the kilowatt hour as de- 
livered at the consumer’s appliance — the electric range requires 4 
times 44 176 
On the basis of complete gasification and 40,000 cubic feet of manufac- 
tured gas to the ton of coal, or 20 cubic feet of gas to the pound of coal, 
manufactured gas requires 532 divided by 20 , 27 
Therefore about 6 pounds of coal would be required for electric 
cooking to 1 pound for manufactured-gas cooking. 
The effect of the general use of electricity for cooking and heating 
on the Nation’s fuel problem is shown in the following: 
Million tons of coal. 
Total coal mined in the United States 640 
Total coal required to generate electricity for cooking and heating service 
to 6 million homes in the United States 750 
Total coal required to make manufactured gas for heating service to 6 
million homes in the United States 82 
Coal now used by all domestic consumers of coal in the United States 106 
« For further discussion see Salient Features of Electric Cooking, Electric Hot-Water 
Heating and Electric House Heating, by Samuel S. Wyer, Columbus, Ohio, 31 pp. 
7 Department of Home Economics, University of Washington, reported in the Journal 
of Home Economics, February, 1923, pp. 71 to 80. 
