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From: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Urban Myths again
Message-ID: <6798@ae.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 12 Apr 90 17:55:17 GMT
References: <1209@gtx.com> <14306@lambda.UUCP> <1646@rsiatl.UUCP> <8830@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Organization: Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 31


Subject: Re: Urban Myths again.  --  Indeed!  Let's squelch this one.


In article <8830@pt.cs.cmu.edu> Bob Berger writes:

>Don't dismiss this "wattless" power so quickly. It is exactly
>what you are charged for by the utilities meter. Although you
>may feel better because you are not using "real" power, I'm more
>concerned with the bill they send me. The rate at which the meter
>turns is proportional to the volt-amperes of apparent power.

Sorry, the meter measures real energy, i.e., Watt-Hours, and not VA-hours,
which I have never seen measured.

Meters which measure VA are labeled volt-ampere (or apparent power) meters
and have scales calibrated in VA or KVA.  Meters which measure power are
called wattmeters and have scales calibrated in Watts or KW.

The meter on your house is calibrated in KWHr, and is displays the time
integral of real power (Watts) consumption, in other words, energy, which is
what the utility sells.  Unless you are a large commercial or industrial
establishment, you don't get penalized for non-unity power factor.


Rich

-- 
How do you know how I can see lessen you kin look out my eyes?
Hoke, in _Driving Miss Daisy_				 rsd@sei.cmu.edu
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