The "Green" Aspects of Power Factor Correction
Power factor is the measurement of the efficiency of your electrical system in using the energy that is delivered to your home from the utility company.
Your electric stove and incandescent light bulbs are referred to as resistive loads and have a power factor of 1.
Any type of device with a motor is referred to as an inductive load and inherently requires more energy to do its work than does a resistive load.
Inductive (motor) loads can have power factor ratings as low as 0.
2.
The combination of all these loads in the average American home is.
77, which indicates that the home is using more energy than it should to operate your electrical equipment.
Installing a power factor correction device in your home or small business can save money and prolong the life of valuable electronic equipment.
But because it saves you money by requiring less electricity to be purchased, it also has a Green advantage for the environment.
If the power company is supplying you less energy then they are not required to burn as much fossil fuel to generate that electricity.
One household won't make much of a difference but the power of numbers comes into play quickly as more homeowners use this technology.
It is estimated that if 500,000 homes across the United States used one of these clean power systems, that it would annually reduce the need for the generation of 17 megawatts of electricity.
This translates to a savings of 42,250 tons of coal (400 rail car loads) or 231,500 barrels of oil.
This in turn would eliminate 98,250 tons of carbon dioxide, 42,000 pounds of nitrous dioxide and 221,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide from our annual greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, since power correction devices increase the life of appliances, electronic devices and other types of motor-operated accessories, the waste stream will be smaller as fewer of these items require replacement.
Even compact fluorescent light bulbs will last longer and will require replacement less often.
Some power correction devices also eliminate electronic "noise" from your electronic devices resulting in longer life for these types of equipment.
One type of power correction system even includes surge protection, which can also reduce the waste stream by ensuring that the replacement of expensive electronic equipment is kept to a minimum.
So the use of power correction devices can be a green addition to your budget as well as a green addition to the environment.
Your electric stove and incandescent light bulbs are referred to as resistive loads and have a power factor of 1.
Any type of device with a motor is referred to as an inductive load and inherently requires more energy to do its work than does a resistive load.
Inductive (motor) loads can have power factor ratings as low as 0.
2.
The combination of all these loads in the average American home is.
77, which indicates that the home is using more energy than it should to operate your electrical equipment.
Installing a power factor correction device in your home or small business can save money and prolong the life of valuable electronic equipment.
But because it saves you money by requiring less electricity to be purchased, it also has a Green advantage for the environment.
If the power company is supplying you less energy then they are not required to burn as much fossil fuel to generate that electricity.
One household won't make much of a difference but the power of numbers comes into play quickly as more homeowners use this technology.
It is estimated that if 500,000 homes across the United States used one of these clean power systems, that it would annually reduce the need for the generation of 17 megawatts of electricity.
This translates to a savings of 42,250 tons of coal (400 rail car loads) or 231,500 barrels of oil.
This in turn would eliminate 98,250 tons of carbon dioxide, 42,000 pounds of nitrous dioxide and 221,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide from our annual greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, since power correction devices increase the life of appliances, electronic devices and other types of motor-operated accessories, the waste stream will be smaller as fewer of these items require replacement.
Even compact fluorescent light bulbs will last longer and will require replacement less often.
Some power correction devices also eliminate electronic "noise" from your electronic devices resulting in longer life for these types of equipment.
One type of power correction system even includes surge protection, which can also reduce the waste stream by ensuring that the replacement of expensive electronic equipment is kept to a minimum.
So the use of power correction devices can be a green addition to your budget as well as a green addition to the environment.
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