Posted on January 29, 2010 by Jerry Rodgers

The first step in reducing energy consumption is measuring how much you are using. Energy consumption consists of two primary components, power and demand. Power, measured in watts, indicates the rate at which energy is expended. Demand, measured in volt-amperes (VA), indicates the requirement that a customer places on the utility to deliver voltage and current without regard to the efficiency of that delivery of whether or  not it does actual work. Power is usually less than demand and the ratio between the two, kW/kVA is called the power factor. Utilities often collect a penalty charge based on the …

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