In so doing, they incur more transmission losses. This is because the utility has to supply more current (amps) to the site than required. Larger businesses need to have a power factor close to 'unity' (1) as they may be charged a fee if they have a low power factor. See below for a demonstration of how power factor is used with our power meter to calculate the real energy consumption of a small TV. Power factor is crucial if you want to know the actual power consumption of an appliance. Equipment with motors, such as fridges and air conditioners, will have a lower power factor. Resistive loads, such as most electric heaters, will have a power factor of 1 as they convert all electrical power supplied into heat. The higher the power factor, the more effectively electrical power is used. The closer the number is to one, the 'better' the power factor. Power factor is represented as a dimensionless number between 0 and 1. Power Factor is a measure of the effectiveness with which an electrical device converts volt-amperes into watts. This formula takes the power factor into account and shows accurate power consumption ( what you are billed for). How to Calculate Wattage - Real Power (Watts)Īmps (A) x Volts (V) x Power Factor = Watts (W) For this, you need to take into account the power factor. This equation will give you a rough idea of power use in watts but is not strictly correct. The formula above can be used for calculating apparent power consumption in volt-amperes (VA). How NOT to Calculate Wattage - Apparent Power (VA) This conventional wisdom or 'rule of thumb' will have you calculate Apparent Power rather than Real Power. Whilst this is true for simplified or direct current (DC) circuits, it's not the case for the mains power we use every day. The wattage of an appliance (in watts) is often said to be current (in amps) multiplied by voltage (in volts).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |