9.5 The Economics of Electric Lighting—
Koppel’s Strategic Aims
The evolution of the light bulb was not only driven by the available technology but by its economics. From 1906, power stations throughout Europe
saw a steady decrease in demand as more and more people switched to
efficient metal filaments. In comparison with carbon, metal filament bulbs
were expensive, but in their favour the life span averaged about one thousand
hours—with a maximum of six thousand being recorded—running costs
were comparable with carbon, and the light was brighter. In the UK, some
power companies tried to prevent customers moving to the new technology,
but this was quickly deemed illegal. Eventually, the companies realised that
falling demand was just the ‘lull before the storm’, because electricity now
held a price advantage over ‘dirty’ gas, which would lead to an increase in the
number of installations—and therefore in profit. Improvement for the consumer of course meant permanent financial losses to the power companies but
they responded by reducing the price of electricity, and third parties developed more and more electrical ‘gadgets’ which not only made the
‘electric-house’ a reality, but commonplace. The electric-house soon became
something to aspire to, but these were dangerous times for those using
electricity. Electric cabling was often not insulated. When it was, (oiled) paper
or dangerous asbestos were used and house fires and deaths by electrocution
were commonplace. There were no ‘trip’ switches or fuses, and there was no
legal enforcement requiring these. Crazy devices flooded the markets like a
‘tablecloth’ that had un-insulated electric wires woven into it where diners
could push the prongs of a bulb into it to provide table lamps. The fact that
water or salt would be used by the diners did not seem to be a consideration!
There were also women’s curling tongs that burned the hair and left many
women bald! Refrigerators of the day used refrigerants such as di-ethyl ether,
di-chloro methane and ammonia, the escape of any of these vapours being
highly dangerous.
Throughout Europe however, hundreds of power companies arose to
satisfy people’s aspiration, each with its own area of distribution, supply
voltage and tariffs and it was the economics of electric lighting that clearly
illuminated Koppel’s engagement with the technology in Germany. The
‘Auer’ company too offered a natural progression for Robert, moving as he did
from one cutting-edge technology to another. The creation of efficient and
affordable incandescent lighting was a multidisciplinary activity ideally suited
to Robert’s engineering skills, but it was also a chemical problem
6 as well as a
9 The Auergesellschaft, Berlin
195
Koppel’s Strategic Aims
The evolution of the light bulb was not only driven by the available technology but by its economics. From 1906, power stations throughout Europe
saw a steady decrease in demand as more and more people switched to
efficient metal filaments. In comparison with carbon, metal filament bulbs
were expensive, but in their favour the life span averaged about one thousand
hours—with a maximum of six thousand being recorded—running costs
were comparable with carbon, and the light was brighter. In the UK, some
power companies tried to prevent customers moving to the new technology,
but this was quickly deemed illegal. Eventually, the companies realised that
falling demand was just the ‘lull before the storm’, because electricity now
held a price advantage over ‘dirty’ gas, which would lead to an increase in the
number of installations—and therefore in profit. Improvement for the consumer of course meant permanent financial losses to the power companies but
they responded by reducing the price of electricity, and third parties developed more and more electrical ‘gadgets’ which not only made the
‘electric-house’ a reality, but commonplace. The electric-house soon became
something to aspire to, but these were dangerous times for those using
electricity. Electric cabling was often not insulated. When it was, (oiled) paper
or dangerous asbestos were used and house fires and deaths by electrocution
were commonplace. There were no ‘trip’ switches or fuses, and there was no
legal enforcement requiring these. Crazy devices flooded the markets like a
‘tablecloth’ that had un-insulated electric wires woven into it where diners
could push the prongs of a bulb into it to provide table lamps. The fact that
water or salt would be used by the diners did not seem to be a consideration!
There were also women’s curling tongs that burned the hair and left many
women bald! Refrigerators of the day used refrigerants such as di-ethyl ether,
di-chloro methane and ammonia, the escape of any of these vapours being
highly dangerous.
Throughout Europe however, hundreds of power companies arose to
satisfy people’s aspiration, each with its own area of distribution, supply
voltage and tariffs and it was the economics of electric lighting that clearly
illuminated Koppel’s engagement with the technology in Germany. The
‘Auer’ company too offered a natural progression for Robert, moving as he did
from one cutting-edge technology to another. The creation of efficient and
affordable incandescent lighting was a multidisciplinary activity ideally suited
to Robert’s engineering skills, but it was also a chemical problem
6 as well as a
9 The Auergesellschaft, Berlin
195