Reducing Your kVAr

Quality Energy specialise in Power Factor Correction units and their servicing. We create custom-built Power Factor Correction Units which can be installed in a range of business settings and are designed to make a business more energy efficient. The key functionality of a Power Factor Correction Unit, or Capacitor Bank, is to reduce a property’s reliance on reactive power, or kVAr from the grid.

The first step in any project with Quality Energy is to complete a power quality audit. This allows our engineers to gather all of the data required to assess and analyse the existing energy efficiency of a property. From here, we are best positioned to work with onsite engineers, consultants and contractors to reduce the kVAr, or ‘reactive’ power to meet business goals. There are three reasons to prioritise the installation of a power Factor Correction Unit when it comes to improving energy efficiency:

1. With a high grid kVAr reliance, businesses are paying for power which can be generated on site and are receiving unnecessarily high energy bills
2. With a high grid kVAr reliance important electrical infrastructure is unnecessarily more heavily loaded and may suffer from circuit breaker tripping and /or overheating
3.  With a high grid kVAr reliance, businesses may incur additional fees from their energy providers

Paying For Power Which Isn’t Being Used Effectively

Every business understands the importance of streamlining costs and minimising any unnecessary spend. kVAr is exactly that: this power which is used to excite the field windings of your induction motors can be generated on site by a capacitor bank instead of purchasing it from your electricity supplier. Identifying the quantity of kVAr which a property is currently using is the first key step towards reducing your electricity account. We work with electrical engineers, consultants and contractors to calculate a property’s kVAr and then provide recommendations for how supply it from a capacitor bank. We aim to get a business Power Factor as close to 1.0 as possible and reduce their grid kVAr reliance to as close to 0 as possible.

The first step we recommend is a custom-built Power Factor Correction Unit or a Capacitor Bank and control system. If a property already has PFC equipment, we recommend a comprehensive service. Like all electrical equipment, Capacitor Banks need to be routinely serviced to ensure they are delivering an optimised performance.

Once the Capacitor Bank has been installed or serviced, we calculate the new kVAr from collected data and compare to historic figures. These numbers typically illustrate a dramatic improvement in a company’s energy efficiency and therefore a reduction in energy bills. We often work with consultants who have been brought on board to reduce energy bills. Together, we work to deliver excellent results to satisfied business owners.

kVAr and Maintenance Costs

Beyond high energy bills, grid kVAr reliance is costly for businesses in another form. The excess power can cause overloading issues to switchboards, busbar systems and circuit breakers, and consumers mains and transformers.It will limit a plant’s manufacturing output as a result. These infrastructures will require more frequent maintenance as a result of high kVAr and their lifespan will be shortened. These are costly items for businesses and are expenses which can and should be avoided through Power Factor Correction.

Without overloading issues, plants can scale up at minimal cost, increasing output without property expansion, a key aim for businesses in the manufacturing industry, among others. A higher output means greater profits so when working as a consultant, this is a valuable service which can be delivered to your clients.

Expert consultants and contractors who are working to save their customers money by improving energy efficiency should take a holistic approach towards reducing costs for their clients. That’s why reduction in grid kVAr reliance is such an important focus within energy efficiency projects. Not only does it deliver lower energy bills, it also reduces the costs of ongoing maintenance and lengthens the lifespan of the infrastructure.

Paying kVAr Fees

Some utility providers now charge kVAr fees for properties which are seeing high kVAr consumption. Energy providers including Ergon Energy charge their commercial clients fees when they are consuming high kVAr. Some businesses aren’t even aware they are paying thousands of dollars in penalty fee for something which can be entirely avoided with a Capacitor Bank. Therefore, the installation of such equipment is a valuable service which consultants and power quality experts are able to deliver.

If you are an energy consultant, speak with Quality Energy today and discuss with us how we can help you deliver a service which not only achieves targets but exceeds them to guarantee satisfaction from your clients.

The post Reducing Your kVAr appeared first on Quality Energy.