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are we paying for active power consumption?

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alphadog

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I dont know if we're paying for active power consumption or for apparent power consumption?

If i had a 250V rating, low ESR, 100uF capacitor, and would connect it to 100Vac 50Hz of mains, then even though the current will be 3.14Arms, but actually i'd only pay for the wire's resistance's and for the ESR's active powre consumption?
 
THe power companies can tell the difference, but they don't really pay attention except for industrial customers who have lots of induction motors and thus use lots of reactive power. They can actually get fined for using too much.
 
We do not since power factor is what ties reactive power to active power resulting in apparent power.
 
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If i had a 250V rating, low ESR, 100uF capacitor, and would connect it to 100Vac 50Hz of mains, then even though the current will be 3.14Arms, but actually i'd only pay for the wire's resistance's and for the ESR's active powre consumption?
Obviously it would need to be an AC rated capacitor or it will explode.

I suggest you ask your electricity supplier rather than trying to find out yourself.
 
There is a Chinese guy going around selling and lying about his very expensive "Power Factor Correction" capacitors.
They save money for the electric utility company, not for the homeowners.
Homeowners are not billed extra for a poor power factor.
Since the value of the capacitor is not correctly calculated and is not switched with each inductive appliance then they might make the power factor worse.
 
I run a 35uf across my mains and a 12.5uf from the lines to ground in my shop. its less to do with power factor correction but more to do with dumping the line noise my 105 amp plasma cutter spews onto the farm wiring.

I kept coming home and finding my touch lamps on. Some times they would be on when I came in from the shop for dinner too.
Bugged me for a month or two. One night my neighbor came over late and was using my plasma cutter. I was in bed already.
My lamp came on and would periodicaly cycle through the dimming stages then go off.
Got up and the other ones were at different stages of dimming too.
I looked out the front window an saw my shop lights on. I went out to turn them off and found my neighbor cutting up steel.
Ah... The plasma cutter makes line noise when the electrode gets worn down!
Designed that rough filter the next morning and have never had a problem since!
My metal hailide lights dont interfear with the radio when they strike now too.
 
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