Comments on: Do Power Factor Correction Devices Save Energy?

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:39:19 +0000

We have come across many of
We have come across many of these devices and even the same one in the picture.

If you have lets say a 20+ year old appliances and are charged a KW (demand)plus kWh on your bill from your electric provider. One might say the device is worth the money. However,
If you have high efficiency appliances and are only billed kWh, this device will cost you more to run than what it claims to save don't be fool by the promise it will save...Remember it only works when a low efficiency appliances is running just like the little 1hp motor video.

Don't waste your money in my opinion upgrade your old appliances and the home insulation R-values, and this will add true value and true comfort to your home or business...

Two different location Examples:

We had one person pay $500 for one of these little devices claiming to save 30% on utility usage. After we test the device at the customer location it did correct PF around 3% at best only when the old A/C system was running, however cost more to keep the KVAR on than what it claimed to save when the A/C system was off.

The second person home we reviewed had major duct leaks and low insulation found. Customer had ducts repaired and more insulation blown in the attic and saved on average 27% plus they were more comfortable and the A/C system did not have to work as hard; which will prolong its life and reduce maintenance costs...

Review facts before wasting any time or money on one of these KVAR units...or check with your power provider before you install one of these.

Regards, Scott

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:10:50 +0000

Lee, you hit the nail on the
Lee, you hit the nail on the head. Utilities bill residential customers by the kilowatt-hour (kWh), not the kilovolt-amp-hour (kVAh), so these devices will do nothing to lower the bills on homes.

Drilling a little deeper, the utility actually determines residential customers' bills by the following formula:

kWh = Power Factor x current x voltage x time

If you put a power factor correction device on your home, the power factor goes up, the current goes down, but the product (Power Factor x current) stays the same, which means that it will not affect your bill one bit.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has now debunked power factor correction devices, and you can read the short summary at that link and as well as find a link to the full article there.

By: lee

lee — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:51:01 +0000

This depends on the PFC
This depends on the PFC figure which needs to be lower than 0.95 at 0.85 good savings will be made and the bill must be in KVA not KW.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:34:01 +0000

Kathleen, I'm afraid there
Kathleen, I'm afraid there must be other factors contributing to your savings because these power factor correction devices can have no effect on home energy use. They don't work. See the article above.

By: Kathleen Gilbert

Kathleen Gilbert — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:24:21 +0000

We have gathered data from
We have gathered data from the KVAR Energy Controllers installed for our customers that indicate savings. Our data includes factoring lifestyle changes and climate conditions. We personally have a KVAR EC on our home and are experiencing a reduction in KW usage when comparing the same periods from one year to the next.