Jekaterina Potašova

In 1882 the Electricity Supply Act, for the first time, gave a legal right to electric companies to provide light to their clients. At the time, the electricity market was split between companies that promoted the two different types of electric current – alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). Both types of currents supplied electricity either from a small station to multiple clients or were generated locally, i.e. a private electrical installation. The friction due to the two types of currents and the number of electrical providers resulted in practical issues. one such issue was a combination of at least ten different frequencies and an astonishing range of voltages. The unregulated nature of the electrical industry led to the Electricity Supply Act of 1926. The act provided legislation to unite all private stations for the construction of the National Grid. Such an arrangement later led to electricity being broadly available and more affordable. The dissertation looks at the private electrical installations in London between the two Electricity Acts.