§ 20-716 Legislative findings.
AC § 20-716
The council hereby finds that the demand for electricity in the city has been steadily growing; that the supply of electricity has on frequent occasions been inadequate fully to meet the demand therefor; that the distribution system of the public utility company serving most of the city has frequently been disrupted by heavy loads; that major brownouts and blackouts in various sections of the city have frequently resulted from such conditions, particularly in the summer; that there is no present basis for concluding that such conditions will not continue for the foreseeable future; that fifty percent of the annual summer growth in demand for electricity in the city is due to air conditioning, that forty percent of the peak summer demand for electricity in the city is attributable to air conditioning; that room air conditioners use a significant part of the electricity used for air conditioning in the city; that the amount of electricity used by room air conditioners of comparable cooling capacity varies widely; that most sellers of room air conditioners do not presently advertise, display or otherwise provide prospective purchasers information as to the amount or cost of electricity required to operate the various models of room air conditioners; that such information, if provided, would lead consumers to purchase more efficient models; that the growth in demand for electricity in the city, particularly in summer months, would thereby be slowed and there would be an amelioration of some of the conditions which lead to brownouts and blackouts. The council also finds that an adequate supply of electricity is vital to the health, safety and welfare of all persons in the city. Accordingly, the council further finds that, in order to conserve electricity, there is a need to provide prospective purchasers of room air conditioners with information with respect to the efficiency and cost of operation of such units.
