KVAR Power Factor Correction Units

[Phil_McCullem]

Does anybody know anything about the Power Factor Correction Units shown at www.kvar.us (http://www.kvar.us) that is guaranted to reduce my KWH usage, extend the life of all my motors and surge protect everything in my coin-op up to 480 volts. Had a salesman come in and show me a demo and was very impressed but as always unsure about new products. Any input would be greaty appreciatd.

[Howard]

This device is basically a big capacitor that is used to correct power factor. Many industrial customers are billed by electric companies based on a power factor of 90. If thier power factor drops below 90 they pay extra. Unless you are being billed on the basis of a power factor I don't think this device will do anything for you - someone please correct me if I am wrong on this.

[Phil_McCullem]

In talking to Florida Power and Light, the elect utility for most of Florida, they told me that almost all utility company's penalize all commercial customers if their power factor is below 90 as you mentioned. What really interested me is the prolonging of the life of all my motors and the surge protection as well. The saleman guaranteed me a minimum of 6% reduction in kilowatt hour usage. Almost seems like a win win situation if all three benefits apply. Thanks for the reply.

[dx398]

The power factor of an AC electric power system is defined as the ratio of the real power to the apparent power, and is a number between 0 and 1. Real power is the capacity of the circuit for performing work in a particular time. Apparent power is the product of the current and voltage of the circuit. Due to energy stored in the load and returned to the source, or due to a non-linear load that distorts the wave shape of the current drawn from the source, the apparent power can be greater than the real power. Low-power-factor loads increase losses in a power distribution system and result in increased energy costs.

[Howard]

That is all true, but my understanding is that unless you have a KVAR meter in addition to a KWH meter then your power factor is not being measured and you are not penalized for it - the utility company is incurring the cost.