Why don't power company places apparent power meter instead of watt meter at customers' sites ?It is easy that the power company can charges its customer penalty for poor power factor.
2007-09-06 16:30:48 · 3 answers · asked by A learner 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Most utilities would love to switch to kVA metering.
As you have eluded, utilities are installing infrastructure with kVA ratings, but are only collecting revenue based on kW. In order to reduce the loading on their equipment, utilities install thousands of capacitors to operate with a near unity power factor during peak conditions.
Some utilities are moving from kW to kVA metering, but it is a slow process. The Public Utility Commissions dictate electric rates that are structured to provide a rate of return based on the costs of delivering power to customers. This includes the needed capacitors, various system losses, and an assumed customer power factor.
Billing in kVA would reduce the need for utility owned capacitors as customers quickly realize they can reduce their electric bills by adding their own caps to maintain a near unity power factor.
Changing from kW to kVA will require the PUC to converting the electric rates to make things equal after the switch.
A residential customer has a peak load power factor around 0.92 lagging. Higher if they have resistance electric heat.
A connmercial office building or retail store is closer to 0.85 lagging. Industrial customers can be 0.80 or even lower.
As a side note, compact fluoresent light bulbs have a PF around 0.50 lagging.
2007-09-07 05:14:47 · answer #1 · answered by Thomas C 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
At industrial sites utilities do measure power factor and charge a penalty for a bad power factor.
I guess it is not worth the trouble and expense for residential uses. Big induction motors lead to bad power factors and it is at industrial sites that a lot of big motors are used.
see http://www.seattle.gov/council/attachments/2007rate_power-factor.pdf
2007-09-06 18:49:42 · answer #2 · answered by Dan Peirce 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
how much do apparent power meters cost relative to the standard "watt-meters"?
by the way, the meters record energy consumed, not power, and that's how you are billed.
2007-09-06 16:49:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋