Analysis of Power Factor Billing Methods for Large Power Consumers: Case Study of Power Utility in Kenya

The objective of this study is to analyse the most appropriate power factor billing methods for large power consumers. It compares average power factor (AVPF) vizá – viz coincidental power factor (CPF), which is currently being used for billing large power consumers. The study involved downloading data from large power energy meters for both energy and demand registers recorded for the past sixteen months for the purpose of calculating average and coincidental power factors respectively. The data was analyzed by determining average power factor for the last sixteen months and standard deviation for each categories of power factor (coincidental, peak –topeak and average power factor). From the analysis, it is observed that most of directly connected, and some of CT metered power users, are operating below 90% efficiency. The analysis concludes that it is preferable to adopt average power factor in metering. By so doing, the power utility will reduce technical losses, improve the stability of the power system and increase revenue as the system will be optimally utilized to distribute active power more efficiently. This will be achieved by the end users through constant monitoring of power factor, hence ensuring that the VAR compensators are operating effectively on all loads. Otherwise the users could operate optimally on temporal basis, while most of the time they don’t meet the set requirement. Keywords— Average power factor, CPF, Energy meter, Power factor, VAr compensator