It took me long enough to find, but:
We are being billed for VA-Hr based on the metering system commonly used. This is a larger number than W-Hr. This is fair to the utility company since they pay to generate VA-Hr, not W-Hr, but is false advertising along the lines of the MegaByte controversy. It also means in the USA we really need to be aware of the power factor of our electronic gadgets since VA can be 30-40% higher than Watts. The EU mandates all equipment have VA nearly equal to W.
The meter on your domicile should NOT be called a Watt Hour meter.
Is there an atorney reading interested in making some major bucks for himself and his legal firm? :dead: False adevrtising lawsuit time. I can not beleive in this age of litigation nobody has latched onto this yet.
Red text is not correct.
Modern electricity meters operate by continuously measuring the instantaneous
voltage (
volts) and
current (
amperes) and finding the
product of these to give instantaneous
electrical power (watts) which is then
integrated against time to give
energy used (
joules,
kilowatt-hours etc). The meters fall into two basic categories, electromechanical and electronic.
[edit] Electromechanical meters
The most common type of electricity meter is the Thomson or
electromechanical induction watt-hour meter, invented by
Elihu Thomson in 1888.
[1][2]
Technology The electromechanical
induction meter operates by counting the revolutions of an
aluminium disc which is made to rotate at a speed proportional to the power. The number of revolutions is thus proportional to the energy usage. It consumes a small amount of power, typically around 2 watts.
The metallic disc is acted upon by two coils. One coil is connected in such a way that it produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the voltage and the other produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the current. The field of the voltage coil is delayed by 90 degrees using a lag coil.
[1]This produces
eddy currents in the disc and the effect is such that a
force is exerted on the disc in proportion to the product of the instantaneous current and voltage. A
permanent magnet exerts an opposing force proportional to the
speed of rotation of the disc - this acts as a
brake which causes the disc to stop spinning when power stops being drawn rather than allowing it to spin faster and faster. This causes the disc to rotate at a speed
proportional to the power being used.
Taurus - Having said all that and since your meter reads both, what is the VA vs W for your system?
PS I was thinking 4W standby is not bad. Then I multiplied it by 200 million PCs. Or is it 500 million PCs in the world? 1-2 Giga watts wasted in standby power. Whoever came up with the ATX standard should be lynched by the Greens!