What is power factor?

A low power factor creates significant penalties on your electricity bill and overloads your electrical distribution system.

Inductive loads (motor, transformer, etc.) requires two types of power: real power (kW) and reactive power (kvar). The composition of these 2 powers is called  the apparent power (kVA).

The power factor (%) is the relation between the real power (kW) and the apparent power (kVA); this determines the efficiency of your electricity consumption. A low power factor occurs when the apparent power is much higher than the real power. If you have an apparent power that is almost the same as the real power, your power factor will be optimized. A high power factor (90% and more) will result in more efficient electrical consumption and a lower utility bill.

Where can I find the power factor on my electricity bill?

You power factor is indicated on your bill. If it is not indicated, Power Survey will find it for you by making certain calculations.

How can we increase the power factor?

The addition of Power Survey capacitors on the electrical network is the ideal way to raise your power factor to an acceptable level. The addition of capacitors will enable you to input your own reactive power at the electrical entrance. The result will be an increase of the power factor well beyond 90%. Thus, by simply adding capacitors to the electrical network, you will benefit from a reduced electrical bill (see graph below).

The graph represents the summary of a yearly customer utility bill before and after the addition of the Power Survey power factor correction equipment.

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