Ernie

Probably does not rise to the PE level but, I would rather have him go in preemptive than reactive.

On a side note:

The power quality test also lets the client be aware if power factor problems exist and the real possibility of saving some big dollars on his electric bill with use of PF correction.

Unless rendering said statement is part of their job. I have a friend who is a PE (licensed in several states, but he also did a lot of work outside of the US), but his degree is in Architecture and Building Construction Engineering Technology- in order to go far in that field (not just as a designer), additional letters after his name were necessary but he wouldn't stick his neck out for something like this and most PEs specialize- trying to specialize in all areas makes one a generalist.

I'm sure the local power company can perform an energy audit and find out if anything is needed.

Consumer does not pay for reacdtive power. Consumer is only charged for real power. Improved power factor does not reduce an electric bill.

Large users (factories) will be charged penalty rates if they present a poor power factor. Rates will be reduced if the company corrects the issue. This is not typical protocol for home accounts. The majority of modern switch mode power supplies present a near unity power factor -- mostly due to EU regulations.

Westom

All nonresidential customers pay a PF charge. Most due to motors.

As long as it's not for some oddball field of study (Hamster gender studies) or fields that have no chance of decent pay, a diploma and the associated studies can make life much easier than not having it. Not saying that it's always needed, but working for someone else, it can help.

Very true. But I'm not talking about what they see their job as. I'm talking about solving the problem.

The problem is providing surge protection. If the problem were that certification of surge protection is required, then, yes, certificates and initials are involved. You don't HAVE to have a certificate on your wall, or a certificate generator on your desk, to solve the actual problem.

Only the large industrial customers (steel mills, automobile factories, etc) do. Retail businesses, small establishments, (ie MacDonalds), etc do not.

Nobody was discussing such establishments. Power factor is mostly irrelevant to a discussion about power quality and power to amplifiers. And has no relationship to surge protectors.

The topic is found in the title. Power factor is irrelevance to both surge protection and to power amps.

That came up when we had our repair shop as well. When I guy came in with something and announced that he was an engineer, I always asked, “For which railroad?”

"HO?" would have been a more subtle and confusing question. Confusing an engineer can be fun.

Westom

You are incorrect, any nonresidential entity is subject to PF charges, it has nothing to do with how large they are, but how the tariffs are setup by the public service commission in each state. They are also subject to demand charges. Power Factor charges are implicitly incorporated into residential bills, you just do not see them enumerated on the bill. Previous to Smart meters, the old style meters could only measure real power, they would not respond to reactive power, you would need a demand meter for that. Now they can record almost any parameter.

Power Factor is most certainly NOT irrelevant to power quality. The harmonics present on the power line and the distortion that poor PF causes are very important. So important that international regulations as to how much and how many harmonics are allowed are embodied in electrical standards.

Studies have shown that 80% of power quality problems are internal not external. Transients and surges are far worse with poor power factor.

Allthough not direct on topic, it should not be dismissed or ignored.

Where would an engineer sit on an HO train, or N-gauge, for that matter?

VR camera in the cab, engineer in an easy chair -- of course!

See? You're an engineer and that question confused you. Thst just proves my point.


I recently read a joke about engineers. I'll shorten it.

During the French revolution, three people are sentenced to death by guillotine. They are an actor, a bureaucrat, and an engineer. Each gets a last request.

The actor, being dramatic, says "I want to be face up so I can face death straight on."

They position him and drop the blade. It stops just short of cutting off his head. It's a miracle! They let him off.

The bureaucrat, being a bureaucrat, goes along and does the same thing. Sure enough, the same thing happens and they let him off.

The engineer thinks things are looking good so he makes the same choice. Just as they put him in position, he looks up and shouts "wait a minute! I see the problem!"

'HO' can mean a lot of things.

That engineer would have been OK if he hadn't been one of the three in line for execution.

Q- How can you tell if someone is an engineer?
A- They stare at their shoes.

Q-How can you tell if someone is an extroverted engineer?
A- They stare at YOUR shoes.