On 2015-06-15 18:26, James Knott wrote:
On 06/15/2015 11:22 AM, Doug wrote:
I may be wrong, but I think what you're missing is that if the power factor is other than 1, a standard wattmeter will read a lower value than the actual power consumed by the load. Probably the watt-hour meter on the side of the building will perform the same way, so as to cheat the electric company.
A power meter will read actual power, which is less than the volt amps due to power factor. So, you're paying for the power you actually use, but the power company has to pay for the current that's carried over the network, as it means larger conductors to carry the same load, when the power factor is high.
The thing is, I have seen small boxes sold here, small as... 3 cigaret packages? that claim to lower your power bill. I have seen them, but I had no permission to disassemble and find out what they do. The assumption is that they are power factor corrector boxes for homes. The second assumption is that the home meters are imperfect, and measure rather current than actual wattage. Thus the boxes would lower the actual current flow, with a power factor closer to 1, or 1. If this is not so, I have no idea what these gadgets do. :-? -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 13.1 x86_64 "Bottle" at Telcontar)