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Rick
 
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Default Fluorescent Lamp question

I need to get some fluorescent lamps for the garage. As I use the garage as my workshop, I want it
to be as bright as possible.

Looking at the ScrewFix site, I see that the low power factor lamps only use 38W tubes, and the high
power factor lamps use 58W tubes.

The difference in price is negligible.

Going back (longer than I care to remember) to trade school days....

A fluorescent light needs a power factor correction capacitor in order for the power used by that
lamp to register on the electricity meter.

As I understand it...
All domestic fluorescent lamps do not need a PF capacitor, but they are limited to low power tubes.
All commercial fluorescent lamps need a PF capacitor, and can use higher output tubes.

Now the question..

If I get the HPF fittings, and remove the capacitor, is there any reason why it should not work as a
low power factor fitting i.e. not register on the meter.

Rick...
Rick... (The other Rick)
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Andrew Gabriel
 
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Default Fluorescent Lamp question

In article ,
Rick writes:
I need to get some fluorescent lamps for the garage. As I use the garage as my workshop, I want it
to be as bright as possible.

Looking at the ScrewFix site, I see that the low power factor lamps only use 38W tubes, and the high
power factor lamps use 58W tubes.

The difference in price is negligible.

Going back (longer than I care to remember) to trade school days....

A fluorescent light needs a power factor correction capacitor in order for the power used by that
lamp to register on the electricity meter.


That's wrong. The power used by the lamp and the rate the meter spins
will be unaffected by using a HPF or LPF fitting. However, a LPF fitting
will draw twice the current and hence need appropriately sized cables
and fuses, but this will not increase the price charged to domestic
consumers (some industrial consumers pay extra for LPF loads).

As I understand it...
All domestic fluorescent lamps do not need a PF capacitor, but they are limited to low power tubes.
All commercial fluorescent lamps need a PF capacitor, and can use higher output tubes.


I believe that is the current EU rules on this issue, with increasingly
high PF (and efficiency) being required for commerial premises lighting
in steps over a few years, which will eventually only be met by using
electronic control gear.

Now the question..

If I get the HPF fittings, and remove the capacitor, is there any reason why it should not work as a
low power factor fitting i.e. not register on the meter.


It will work as a LPF fitting, but it makes no difference to the meter,
so doing that is completely pointless to you, and imposes extra load
on wiring and supply infrastructure.

--
Andrew Gabriel
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Christian McArdle
 
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Default Fluorescent Lamp question

If I get the HPF fittings, and remove the capacitor, is there any reason
why it should
not work as a low power factor fitting i.e. not register on the meter.


Both HPF and LPF fittings will register on a normal electric meter. You are
not going to get free electricity by removing the power factor correction.

Correcting the power factor makes the fitting draw the power it needs more
efficiently. A domestic meter can't detect this inefficient use of
electricity, but a commercial meter sometimes can. So a commercial user has
to pay a penalty when they use electricity inefficiently due to power
factor, whilst a domestic user does not.

However, there is no disadvantage to the domestic user (and there is a
slight advantage, in fact) to power factor correction anyway.

Christian.



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Rick
 
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Default Fluorescent Lamp question

On Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:45:16 +0100, Rick wrote:

I need to get some fluorescent lamps for the garage. As I use the garage as my workshop, I want it
to be as bright as possible.

Looking at the ScrewFix site, I see that the low power factor lamps only use 38W tubes, and the high
power factor lamps use 58W tubes.

The difference in price is negligible.

Going back (longer than I care to remember) to trade school days....

A fluorescent light needs a power factor correction capacitor in order for the power used by that
lamp to register on the electricity meter.

As I understand it...
All domestic fluorescent lamps do not need a PF capacitor, but they are limited to low power tubes.
All commercial fluorescent lamps need a PF capacitor, and can use higher output tubes.

Now the question..

If I get the HPF fittings, and remove the capacitor, is there any reason why it should not work as a
low power factor fitting i.e. not register on the meter.

Rick...
Rick... (The other Rick)



Ok, many thanks for all the reply's.

As I said it was a loooong time ago that somebody tried to teach me this stuff. Obviously it didn't
take grin

Rick... (The other Rick)
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