How does low voltage in the network affect the bill on the receipt for consumed energy
Hello dear subscribers and guests of my channel! Today I want to talk with you on the topic "What effect does low voltage in the network have on the amount of consumed and recorded electricity, and accordingly the price in our receipts. " Interesting? Then let's get started.
How counters count
To begin with, I want to briefly talk about the principle of calculating electricity with metering devices. And I'll start with the good old dials that are probably still in your switchboard.
So, in the design of such a device, two coils are provided:
- Current wound with a thick copper wire (the section of which corresponds to the rated current, the meter is designed for it). Included in the circuit in a sequential manner.
- Voltage coil wound with a thin copper wire, but it is already connected in parallel to the circuit.
Moreover, these coils are located relative to each other at an angle of 90 degrees.
An aluminum disc is placed between these coils. When the meter is connected to the network, an electric current begins to flow through it.
In this case, the current coil and the voltage coil, due to the formation of magnetic fluxes, induce eddy currents in the aluminum disk. And the interaction of these currents with the electromagnetic field makes the aluminum disk spin.
Thus, counting the consumed kilowatts of electricity.
In modern electronic metering devices, analog signals received from built-in sensors are transformed into pulses.
Further, the generated pulses are sent to the microcontroller, where they are counted and a command is given to output data to an electronic scoreboard.
So, we remembered (learned) on what principle metering devices work. Now let's move on to our question and find out how the operation of the meter at reduced voltage will change.
How the meter counts at low voltage
So let's assume that the mains voltage is normal and equal to 230 Volts and a kettle with a capacity of 1.6 kW is included in the network. So, according to a simple formula I = P / V, the current consumption will be 1600/230 = 6.956 Amperes.
This means that when the voltage drops, for example, to 200 Volts, the current consumption will increase to 1600/200 = 8 Amperes, which means that the consumption of the meter will increase.
And it is logical to assume that a larger current flowing through the meter should make it spin the disk faster or count pulses, but this does not happen.
This is because in old meters there is a voltage coil, and in modern meters, the mains voltage is taken into account.
Conclusion: at low voltage, the counter will count in the same way as at normal mains voltage, but that's not all.
Low voltage will still affect your receipt, and for this reason. Let's take a conventional kettle again. So, with normal voltage, it will heat up the water for our tea (coffee) in 5 minutes.
But at low voltage, it will already take 10-12 minutes for this action, and all this time the counter will actively wind up.
So it is with other appliances in the house. So, if the compressor of the refrigerator at normal voltage turns off after 20-30 minutes of operation, at low voltage it will thresh for hours, thereby consuming more and more kilowatts.
What to do with low voltage
It turns out that, despite the fact that the meter counts correctly at both low and normal voltage levels, with low voltage in the network, you still pay significantly more.
And if the deviation from the norm at 230 Volts is more than 5% for a long time and 10% for a short time (according to GOST 29322-2014), you should contact your sales organization for poor power quality.
After the checks, they will be obliged to eliminate the identified violations and provide you with high-quality electricity.
Otherwise, you will continue to overpay your hard-earned money for electricity.
If you liked the material, then be sure to rate it like and repost, let more people know that low voltage is bad.
The original article is posted on the website Energofiksik.
Thank you for your attention and take care of yourself!