power factor correction [RE-wrenches]

Todd Cory, Mt. Shasta Energy Services toddcory at finestplanet.com
Wed Sep 12 05:47:10 PDT 2007


Wrenches,

I recently got this link from a customer. 

http://electric-bill-discount.com/how-it-works/

They are wondering if this device will actually save any energy use. 

I know about power factor, and as I understand it, home energy loads are 
resistive, inductive and capacitive. Motors are inductive loads, 
electronics are capacitive loads, loads that create are resistive loads. 
Capacitive and inductive loads will cause the power and current wave 
forms to become slightly out of phase which changes the power factor. As 
the older analog meters only registered resistive power (do digital ones 
measure and compensate for power factor?), one way you get a slight 
amount of free power and the other way you pay a slight increase on your 
power bill from what you use.  For optimal efficiency voltage and 
current should be in phase.

Question: Will a device that corrects power factor (this thing is 
probably just a capacitor right?) actually save any energy... or does it 
just cheat the meter's ability to record the actual power consumption?

Todd


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