DIYbanter - View Single Post - Power factor and domestic electricity billing in the UK?

Daniel[_4_]

On 21/05/14 06:27, wrote:

On Tue, 20 May 2014 12:10:49 +0100, Daniel
wrote:

Don't know!! The impression I got was that domestic mains supplies PF
varied reasonable as it was, due to domestic fridges, fluoro's, T.V.'s,
etc, switching on and off at different times,
They switch on/off during few cycles (allowing for a starting surge) and
run/don't run for many cycles, so the switching on & off only matters
for the overall load. The type of load does matter.

Yes, your T.V. switches on and stays on for three hours, maybe, before
it's switched off. Meanwhile your 10-15-20 neighbours have also turned
on their T.V.'s and turned them off.

And your Fridge has turned on and, later, off. And your 10-15-20
neighbours' Fridges.

Etc., Etc., Etc..

The waveform on your power lines is a very complex thing!!

that the major power
suppliers did not worry about the domestic situation .... but in
industrial situations, yes, the major power suppliers could/would
require PF correction.
Or they bill appearant power & the major users /want/ PF correction,
Note that if you use a lot of reactive power it adds to the current on
the grid and the power company still has to put in heavier wire, so it
does cost them /something/.

It alters the phase angle between Voltage and Current in the Power
System, which will, eventually, require the power company to take
corrective action .... which they then bill *you* for, by way of
increasing the cost of power.

Daniel