Meter Readings and Billing - Active power or Apparent power ?

[HTH]

For a residential property are the Meter Readings and Billings based on Active or Apparent Power ?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Apparent Power includes the impact of Power Factor, so would read higher than Active Power ?

BTW - my Smart Meter is an Aclara SGM1433-B 3 phase in a residential property. Utility supply is Shell Energy.

 

[poni]

why do you ask?

 

[HTH]

I ask so I will know which type of measurement it is and being billed against.

I have an additional independent power measurement device with Current Transformers and Phase Voltage measurements across each phase that also has selectable config settings for either Active or Apparent Power measurement.
I want to set it to the correct one to most accurately correlate to my Meter and residential billing tariff.
Attached are a couple of photos of my Shelly EM3 app screen.

 

[arwooldridge]

My understanding is that residential meters bill on actual power.
The supplier could charge an excess for reactive power for large commercial customers, but i don't think they do for small/medium commercial. Well not for me anyway!

 

[HTH]

My understanding is that residential meters bill on actual power.
The supplier could charge an excess for reactive power for large commercial customers, but i don't think they do for small/medium commercial. Well not for me anyway!

By ‘Actual’ power, did you mean Active or Apparent Power ?
Both seem to be flavours of ‘Actual’ but vary in perspective.

 

[arwooldridge]

Sorry I meant real power, not actual, as in the current in phase with the voltage, reactive power is the current 90 degrees out of phase with the voltage. Total power would be the square root of the sum of the squares of real and reactive power.

 

[HTH]

By Real Power would this be Active or Apparent power ?
So many different names to add to the confusion.

 

[arwooldridge]

Yes real power is the same as active power, it's the in phase or resistive power.

 

[arwooldridge]

Sorry I used real in the mathematical sense ie real and imaginary components of the complex number that described the current or power in AC circuits. Sorry to confuse the issue!

 

[apprentice87]

You are billed for "true power", that is, the power actually consumed with apparent power [that includes reactive power] being ignored. This is why your bill is in kW and not kVA.

john..

 

[Geoff1946]

So the plug in gadgets claiming to reduce your bill, which I've assumed are power factor improvement capacitors, will have no effect whatsoever. (?)

 

[MikeJhn]

A bit like those add ones that are supposed to improve the fuel consumption of your car, if I fitted them all wold my tank overflow.

 

[BorisJ]

So the plug in gadgets claiming to reduce your bill, which I've assumed are power factor improvement capacitors, will have no effect whatsoever. (?)

That’s right. In fact if they have a neon or LED indicator they will increase your power consumption by a watt or so.