Wattless Charges

Many electric loads such as induction motors and some fluorescent light fittings incur wattles loads due to the magnetising currents needed for their operation. The relationship between wattles power and true power is given by the term power factor, with a power factor of unity (or 1) implying no wattles power in the system.

If the power factor dips below 0.95, all electricity suppliers will apply wattles charges to their customer’s electricity bills to cover the cost of this portion of utilised electricity. This wattles charge can be eliminated by installing a power factor correction capacitor.

If this is a problem in your business, we at Energy Administration Services, can carry out a power factor survey. Should your power factor require correction we can size and supply the relevant capacitor to alleviate the wattles charges from your bill. Typical payback for the installation of power factor correction equipment would be in the region of 6 – 9 months.