Reduction in the amount of available useful power.Heat damage to insulation and other circuit components.This matters to companies because it can result in: Poor power factor means that you’re using power inefficiently. You can avoid power factor penalties by correcting for power factor. The power available to perform work is called real power. The ratio of the two is essentially useful power to supplied power, or:Īs this diagram demonstrates, power factor compares the real power being consumed to the apparent power, or demand of the load. Where watts measure useful power while VA measures supplied power. The power factor formula can be expressed in other ways: To calculate power factor, you need a power quality analyzer or power analyzer that measures both working power (kW) and apparent power (kVA), and to calculate the ratio of kW/kVA. In most ac circuits there is never power factor equal to one because there is always some impedance (interference) on the power lines. The higher the operating cost, the higher the likelihood that utilities will penalize a customer for overutilization. The lower the power factor, the less efficient the circuit, and the higher the overall operating cost. The costs of lower efficiency can be steep-akin to driving a gas-guzzling car. Utilities apply surcharges to companies with a lower power factor.
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For some larger customers, utilities might even take the largest peak and apply it across the full billing period. Therefore, utilities bill for peak demand. Using power at the very moment it is in highest demand can disrupt overall supply unless there are enough reserves. The challenge for utilities is delivering power to handle every customer’s peaks. Peak demand is when demand is at its highest. If demand requirements are irregular, the utility must have more reserve capacity available than if load requirements remain constant. For most utilities, demand is calculated based on the average load placed within 15 to 30 minutes. Many utilities add a demand charge to the bills of large customers to offset differences between supply and demand (where supply is lower than demand). When demand is greater than the power available, a strain is placed on the utility system. If a circuit were 100% efficient, demand would be equal to the power available.
The mug is apparent power (kVA)-the mug is the demand power, or the power being delivered by the utility. It’s the energy being produced that isn't doing any work, such as the production of heat or vibration. This is the part you want.įoam is reactive power (kVAR)-the foam is wasted power or lost power. Beer is active power (kW)-the useful power, or the liquid beer, is the energy that is doing work.
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