You’re short of capacity. Your transformers or conductors are overheating or approaching their amp rating. Voltage is several percent lower at the load terminals than at the transformer secondary. Worst of all, your power wholesaler may be charging you a special penalty. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from low power factor!

Is there a remedy for this condition? In fact, what exactly is the condition? In a nutshell, power factor tells how close your system is to delivering the maximum power possible for its available voltage and current.

A characteristic of alternating current circuits, power factor is always a value between 0.0 and 1.0. The higher the number, the better the power factor with 1 representing the ideal or "unity." Any time there is a phase shift, meaning the AC voltage and current wave are not in perfect sync time-wise, power factor is less than unity.

Low power factor hurts business

Unity power factor is the goal of every electric utility, since power factors below 1.0 consume system capacity, reduce system stability and are harder on transmission equipment. It can also cause billing problems. When power factor decreases to 0.6., meters do not read electricity use accurately. The end users may not be charged for power they are using, which is why industrial accounts are sometimes charged for electricity based on the efficiency of their equipment and not just on the meter readings.

Poor power factor is primarily associated with industrial facilities, because of the large amount of energy business equipment uses. Circuits serving inductive or capacitive equipment like ballasts, personal computers and motors usually have a power factor below 1.0. Motors in particular affect power factor since the power supply sees motor windings as inductors.

Western requires its customers to maintain a power factor of .95 or better. A recent study by Western's Rocky Mountain Region, however, indicated that a number of meters in the area do not meet that standard. "The power factor needs to be brought back into range," said RMR Public Utilities Specialist Stacey Harris. "We need the help of our customers to do that, and they need a thorough understanding of the issues to help."

Workshops coming soon to rural areas

Fortunately, providing Western customers with information just happens to be Energy Services' specialty. Western is planning a series of workshops on power factor improvement and distribution efficiency. "We're targeting rural Colorado, Wyoming and eastern Nebraska through larger power wholesalers," Harris said.

TriState Generation and Transmission and Municipal Energy Association of Nebraska are working with Western to set up workshops for late summer. Western's Upper Great Plains Region may schedule additional workshops in 2007.

The one-day sessions will cover Western's requirements for power factor compliance and the value of improved power factor to decision-makers such as city managers, council members and utility superintendents. Participants will learn about the technical aspects of correcting power factor and how good power factor helps customer relationships. Speakers will present case studies and solutions to reducing utility system losses through distribution efficiency.

Utilities with large industrial customers should not miss Western's power factor workshop. "Any business account can affect a utility's power factor, though," UGP Energy Services Representative Michael Radecki pointed out. "Also, a utility near the end of the transmission line can be affected by industrial users further up on the system. This workshop will benefit all our customers and their end-users, too."

Check the Energy Services Web site for workshop dates and locations, or contact your regional Energy Services representative for more information.