Recent content by WCWally

It's true whether I agree or not, but I completely agree that with a low power factor there will be more heat generated by any resistance that the additional current passes through. My point is that the electric meter doesn't see it, so the residential customer isn't charged for it, so...

The utilities attempt to charge the cost of delivering whatever they deliver plus whatever profit the markets and the public utility commissions will stand for. I2R losses are a component of KWHr as well. Standard watt hour meters do not pick up the difference between KWHr and KVAHr and there...

Yes, the losses are real, no they would not be measured by the watt-hour meter. The reason utilities penalize large users for low power factor is that they would otherwise not get paid for it. In the case of residential users with low power factor they don't directly charge for it. It's only...

The problem with these devices is that the makers spin around with the I2R losses, distinct from the KWHr, as if they matter. They are real enough but the big point is that the residential utility meter will not see them nor will the utility bill directly for them. Corrections to power factor...

The big simple answer is NO. Although power factor is an issue in large commercial and industrial applications, there is no U.S. utility I know of that asses a penalty on residential customers for low power factor. The utility meters measure watt hours not KVA hours, so if the power factor is...