-----Original Message----- From: Richard Fjeld Sent: Monday, August 06, 2012 9:53 AM To: elecraft posting Subject: [Elecraft] KPA-500 110 or 220?
I have read that an Electric Meter (wattage meter) will run up the bill more if the load is not balanced across the two feeders in the meter. By running things on 220 Volts when possible, it may help to balance the load and the meter becomes more efficient for the consumer. YMMV Richard Fjeld, N0CE ------------------------------------------- NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kWh (kiloWatt hour = energy consumed [thousands of Watts] over a period of time [an hour]) meters are NOT designed in that manner. And, your Public Utility Commission (PUC) would NOT approve them for use if they were design defective in that manner. PUCs require periodic testing of ALL kWh meters to assure they are registering power consumed, within the State specified range (typically +- 1.5%), for loading across a single leg (120 V) or across both legs (240 V). In the past (and where they are still used) the electro-mechanical kWh meter typically would slowly slow down over time due to wear on the disc jewels and spindle, or due to dust affecting those same points. Most meters found out of tolerance are running SLOWWWWWER; an advantage to the consumer. But, the percentage of kWh meters found out of tolerance during routine testing is very small (less than 1 percent). And that 'out of tolerance' value typically is less than 2 percent. The electro-mechanical kWh meter is truly a marvel. It is a highly accurate, long lived instrument which operates in a relatively hostile environment for years without requiring maintenance. Today's electronic kWh meters overcome the wear/dust problem as there are no moving parts. However, change of component values over time may cause similar problems; either under registering or over registering. So, periodic testing of kWh meters is still mandatory. The main advantage of electronic meters is the capability of including remote reading, load monitoring, etc., which all contribute to a more efficient, accurate (no manual meter reading person) and less costly operation. Mis dos centavos. de Milt, N5IA ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
