Re: [Phys-l] [tap-l] Energy Conservation?

[Bernard Cleyet <bernardcleyet@redshift.com>]

As I suggested in my previous post, I think it unlikely the meters do  
not incorporate the power factor.  The watt meters I have do that  
inherently.  They are d'Arsonvals that use a series coil to supply  
"the" magnetic field while the moving coil is powered by a parallel  
connection (w/ a dropping resistor).  I easily imagine the meter's  
motor is constructed similarly.

bc thinks likely Wiki. has an article on watt-hour meters.




On 2008, Dec 03, , at 08:45, Stan Dodds wrote:

> Take a look at the Wikipedia entry for 'power factor'.
>
> I think household meters measure volts x amps, which will not be  
> the same as true electrical work if the load is not purely  
> resistive. The site claims that motors present an inductive load  
> which significantly reduces the power factor. Adding capacitance  
> would shift the power factor back towards 1, letting the meter more  
> accurately read true electrical work.
>
> That said, it seems unlikely that the power factor for a normal  
> household is that far from 1. It would cause problems for the  
> utility.  If the power factor is significantly less than one, I  
> doubt that this unit would add enough capacitance to make a  
> difference.
>
> Stan
>
> On Dec 3, 2008, at 10:24 AM, Bill Norwood wrote:
>
> > Hi Taplers,
> >
> > Hoax, right?
> >
> > 1. That device is not large enough to store a significant amount  
> > of electrical energy in its capacitors.
> > 2. There is no way to cycle back into the system “unused”  
> > electricity, right?
> >
> > http://www.freeeasygreen.com/
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Bill Norwood
> > U of MD at College Park