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Power Factor

PREPARE FOR POWER FACTOR CHARGES

Power Factor

WHAT IS POWER FACTOR?

Definition: The ratio of working power to apparent power. Power factor tells you how efficient your power usage is.

Ideal Power Factor

How to calculate power factor

Need help?

Wondering what your power factor is? Contact us.

The Cappuccino Analogy

Let’s say you stop by your favorite coffee shop and order a cappuccino. The coffee portion represents the real power (what you wanted).

But, when you order the cup, you also get a bit of froth at the top. The froth represents the reactive power, or the work it took to create the creamy cappuccino.

Those two things combined represent the apparent power and you have to pay for all of it (not just the coffee).

Cappuccino
TIPS TO IMPROVE POWER FACTOR
  1. Identify items causing disturbances such as induction motors, incandescent lamps, or under-sized wiring
  2. Consider Harmonics Passive LC (inductor-capacitor) filtering as a cost-effective solution
  3. Equip large electrical motors with soft starters or variable frequency drives
  4. Add capacitors to existing equipment to negate large inductive loads
Heads Up! Our Customer Service Office will be closed Dec. 24 & 25, as well as Jan 1st. If you have a utility emergency, call 616.772.2001. Have a happy and safe holiday!