Kuryente !

[robbietan]

here is the 3rd part of the electric bill miniseries: residential

 

Franchise Tax - this amount goes to the national government as franchise tax, and a range of 0.05% to 0.75% of the gross is paid to local government units. this will be replaced in december by 10% EVAT

 

Universal Charge - This is remitted to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), a company owned and controlled by government, created by Republic Act 9136.

 

missionary - missionary electrification that subsidizes places where providing electricity is a non-viable business. this includes very small islands that cannot be connected to the grid

 

environmental - used to maintain/rehab watersheds, etc. that help provide power

 

what goes to meralco - Distribution Charge, Metering Charge, Supply Charge, Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment

 

what goes to government/napocor - Generation Charge, Transmission Charge, System Loss Charge, Franchise Tax (now EVAT), Universal Charge, Lifeline Subsidy, Lifeline Discount, Interclass Subsidy

 

for a bill that consumed 117 kwHr (actual bill), 16.527% of the money went to MERALCO, the rest went to the government.

[floppydrive]

Great thread! 

 

With the high cost of electricity, I am more deliberate in using electric home appliance and electric devices.  Now can someone tell me if those plug-in power saving devices advertised on TV really work?  I mean, really help you cut down on the consumption of electric power?  What is the principle behind it?

 

Thanks!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As boss Robbietan mentioned, the mouse like device contains a capacitor. It wont work for residential electricity consumers in the Philippines because of the method of measurement used by Meralco for residential accounts.

 

The good news is that it WILL work for industrial consumers. In fact, Meralco gives a discount for those who use capacitor banks (way larger versions of the mouse like device) in their system, and can be seen in the industrail account's monthly electricity bill.

 

For more technical info, read on.

 

Meralco charges residential customers based on kilowatt-hour (KWhr) consumption, and charges industrial consumers based on kilovolt-amp-hour(KVAh). Although in basic electrical terms the two are similar, the KVAh has another component that Meralco monitors solely for industrial - the reactive power. A right size of capcitor bank will compensate for the reactive power and will bring the KVAh to equal KWhr.

 

So if you have a lot of motors running, you'll be consuming a higher KVAh, even if on paper you have a set KWhr consumption. By putting a capacitor bank and running the same motors, the KWhr will be the same, but the KVAh will be reduced.

 

Hope this helps, even if it's late.

[floppydrive]

Some tips in buying electrical appliances -

 

For Airconditioners get the unit with the highest EER rating within your desired size and budget. EER is the Energy Efficiency Ratio. This is how well an air conditioner can convert electricity into cool air for your room. The higher the EER, the lesser electricity it will consume to cool a correct size room.

 

Please note that it is also important to get the correct size of air conditioner for the room. If the air conditioner capacity is too small for the room, then it may not even be able to cool the room. If the airconditioner capacity is too big for the room, then their is wasteage of electricity, and the initial cost is more expensive.

[robbietan]

nice bos floppy! if I may add, MERALCO also charges industrial/large commercial customers in kW rating, that is the maximum demand of power for a given month, in addition to the other aforementioned charges

 

as bos floppy has said, EER also works in refrigerators. the higher the EER rating, the better. as a rough guideline in choosing energy efficient refs:

1. always single door instead of two door. mas efficient ang single door

2. go for manual defrost. no-frost refs waste power. anyway manual defrosting is easy, push start -defrosting starts. push stop- defrosting stops. that easy. no need to remove items inside the ref (like in d olden days).

tsaka kayo mamili ng preferred brands ninyo.

 

as I recall, Abenson's have these EER stickers in their refs and aircons for buyers' reference.

[jt2003]

Pareng Robbietan, I hope this makes sense. I just don't know many terms.

 

My old microwave oven didn't need a grounding wire, because all it needed was this little horseshoe-type metal thing in the adaptor. I believe this served as a grounder. I chose this oven precisely because it didn't need a grounding wire. Unfortunately, that oven is now faltering. We have this other oven which we want to use, but there's a grounding wire. I'm not sure if we should use the adaptor of the old oven, because there's an unoccupied space (the adaptor is for making three into two, so the oven can be plugged in, a situation which isn't needed for the new oven). My questions are: (1) Can I use the old adaptor even if there's an open space? and (2) Can we use the new microwave even without the grounding wire?

Edited December 8, 2005 by jt2003

[floppydrive]

Pareng Robbietan, I hope this makes sense.  I just don't know many terms.

 

My old microwave oven didn't need a grounding wire, because all it needed was this little horseshoe-type metal thing in the adaptor.  I believe this served as a grounder. I chose this oven precisely because it didn't need a grounding wire.  Unfortunately, that oven is now faltering.  We have this other oven which we want to use, but there's a grounding wire.  I'm not sure if we should use the adaptor of the old oven, because there's an unoccupied space (the adaptor is for making three into two, so the oven can be plugged in, a situation which isn't needed for the new oven).  My questions are: (1) Can I use the old adaptor even if there's an open space? and (2) Can we use the new microwave even without the grounding wire?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If I understand correctly, the space you mentioned is for the ground line of the old plug, and this adaptor only has two metal prongs that stick out and plug into the wall. If this is so, then the adaptor doesn't really ground the microwave oven.

 

The grounding wire is to protect the user from electric shock in case something goes wrong like there is a short circuit inside the machine. The microwave will still work even if you don't use the ground line. If you notice, the power cables that come with the computer all have a ground line (the third metal prong that is usually round while the other two are flat) , but most people use adaptors that bypass this.

 

In case you want to play it safe and ground the microwave, all you have to do is to unscrew the screw that holds the wall electrical outlet cover and attach the ground line to this and screw it back in. You can then plug the microwave safely.

 

Most refrigerators and washing machines, specially those made in the RP all have ground lines (the green wire tied somewhere in the back of the unit. But most people don't even know they are there, much less connect them properly.

 

Anyway, the main purpose of the ground line is to protect the user when SOMETHING GOES WRONG. The unit will still work.

 

Hope this helps.

[floppydrive]

nice bos floppy! if I may add, MERALCO also charges industrial/large commercial customers in kW rating, that is the maximum demand of power for a given month, in addition to the other aforementioned charges

 

as bos floppy has said, EER also works in refrigerators. the higher the EER rating, the better. as a rough guideline in choosing energy efficient refs:

1. always single door instead of two door. mas efficient ang single door

2. go for manual defrost. no-frost refs waste power. anyway manual defrosting is easy, push start -defrosting starts. push stop- defrosting stops. that easy. no need to remove items inside the ref (like in d olden days).

tsaka kayo mamili ng preferred brands ninyo.

 

as I recall, Abenson's have these EER stickers in their refs and aircons for buyers' reference.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did you know that by law, all refs and air cons must post the EER and EFR ratings? This is a BPS regulation. These yellow cards will be able to save you a lot when comparing and choosing an appliance.

 

Unfortunately, there are plenty of imported units being sold that don't have this. DTI has to do something about it. A local appliance can't leave the factory without it, but an imported unit can be sold sans yellow tag.

 

Anyway, the No frost unit consumes more electricity because it has a small fan inside the ref and freezer that blows air around the unit. This movement of air keeps the ice from forming insde the freezer. This fan operates as long as the unit is on.

[robbietan]

good day bos jt.

bos floppy is right, gagana ang microwave even without the third wire attached.

the third wire is the ground wire, onaks have a ground wire in their homes (alam ko sa MERALCO malapit nang maging compulsory ang third wire sa new homes) that is connected sa service entrance nila. pag ikinabit mo doon ang ground wire, any fault (short circuit, etc) would go to the breaker/fuse and trip the thing.

bos floppy's suggestion is ok, since wala kayo grounding connection. it will dissipate some flux due to the operation of the machine. most of the time its good enough. pero in cases of faults, hindi mawawala ang risk of shock sa ganyang connection. (hirap nanakot pa, erferferf)

 

the microwave will do just fine, ingat na lang on the power cables. make sure na walang damage bago gamitin ang oven. just to be on d safe side.

 

me? I check ALL power cables before turning on the juice. mahirap na.... erferferf

[hoodsy2004]

mga boss! tanong ko lang kung may kilala kayo na nabiktima nung mga meralco posers or kahit muntik na mabiktima? my friend is doing an ivestigative report about this so any info would be greatly appreciated

[robbietan]

bos hoodsy,

the warning on the fake meralco men was forwarded to me by e-mail. I believe meralco itself is doing an investigation on the matter.

[hoodsy2004]

bos hoodsy,

the warning on the fake meralco men was forwarded to me by e-mail. I believe meralco itself is doing an investigation on the matter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

salamat boss! i'll just tell my friend na better start with meralco na lang

[robbietan]

I am reprinting an article (with author's permission) that may be timely:

 

ENERGY SAVINGS DEVICES: TRUE OR FALSE?

 

 

Today, there are three words that could catch the attention of anyone from business executives to housewives: Energy Savings Device (ESD). In a world of rising fuel costs, ESDs makes sense. ESDs not only help reduce costs; they indirectly help the environment – less power consumption means less fossil fuel consumed by power plants.

 

Media has done a good job promoting ESDs, everyone has heard of a particular device that could help save energy costs. The brochures look good and the presentation of the product on TV looks credible – they even use those instruments real electricians use: testers and kilowatt-hour meters. Price? Their ads claim that their product will pay for itself after a short period of time. Too good to be true?

 

 

TRUE ESDs

 

The good news: there are such things as real ESDs. But to qualify as a legitimate ESD, the device must be able to create conditions for optimum transfer of energy to the loads. Simply put, maximize the efficiency of the load. Energy is saved when less power is needed to produce the same amount of work. The following devices are legitimate ESDs:

 

1. Adjustable-speed drives—These are ideally suited to reduce energy consumption of pumps, compressors, blowers, and fans by eliminating the throttling energy loss by means of adjusting the speed of the motor. These devices control motor speeds so that the motors need not run at a fixed speed all the time. The user can make the motors run at half speed when it suits his need. This means that by controlling the speed of the motor, its output can be matched to what the process actually needs.

2. Optimum voltage controllers— Such devices automatically adjust the input voltage to the best value that yields maximum motor efficiency for a given mechanical power.

3. Electronic ballast lamps—The efficacy (lumen/Watt) of electric discharge lamps is greatly increased when supplied at a higher frequency. Compact florescent lamps qualify as ESDs as they produce the same amount of brightness while using less power compared to standard incandescent lamps.

4. High efficiency motors use new ferromagnetic materials, such as amorphous steel for transformer cores, lower resistivity conductors, reduced airgap designs, permanent-magnet dc and synchronous motors, better bearings, and better insulators (higher dielectric strength and temperature) allow for designs of equipment with better efficiency.

5. Passive filters and power factor correction capacitors. These devices help improve the power factor, hence, reduce the power system’s energy losses. These devices are time-honored and proven methods. For end-users, there is the added incentive in the form of discounts that the utility gives for improved power factor.

 

 

FALSE ESDs

 

Manufacturers are cashing in on the current demand for energy efficient products. Some manufacturers do legitimate research to improve the efficiency of their products. Others rely on creative marketing strategies to make vague claims of the energy efficiency of their products. The products themselves are legitimate, but some advertisers add ‘energy savings’ virtues that the products are not designed for.

 

 

1. Surge Arresters offer excellent protection against voltage surges but they do not provide energy savings. The promoters of these false ESD’s asserted that high-frequency voltage transients cause supplementary losses, mainly in the cores of motors and transformers. The fact that the power loss caused by the surges is very small when compared with the load kilowatts is not mentioned by their advertisers. And the fact that the bulk of the surge energy was transferred from the core to the surge arrester. Savings will come from reduced maintenance costs, not from reduced energy consumption.

2. Harmonic current converters are said to convert harmonic currents to useful power. Field and laboratory tests by IEEE Field proved that even nonlinear loads with large total harmonic distortions of the current (THD) in excess of 100% have harmonic active power less than 1% of the input power.

 

 

 

WHAT ESDs CANNOT DO

 

Legitimate ESDs can save energy but not much else. There are claims that ESDs do other things beside save energy.

 

1. Voltage balancing - Balancing the voltage across an induction motor has its benefits. However, it is usually more cost effective to balance the voltage in the facility rather than put expensive devices across a particular motor. Unbalanced facility voltage could be caused by loose terminal connections – correcting this is certainly cheaper than installing a voltage balancing device.

2. Remove harmonics – ESDs control the input voltage using electronics, which means they introduce harmonics in a power system. Well-designed ESDs limit the harmonic currents they inject in the power system, but they certainly do not remove or control the harmonics produced by other loads.

 

 

These are just some of the products that some advertisers ‘abuse’ by giving them virtues (like energy savings capability) that the products are not designed for. Here are some tips for the consumer to weed out the false products from the legitimate ones.

 

1. In viewing product demonstrations, take note of the type of meters being used. The meters should be recently calibrated and provide true RMS readings.

2. Be aware that the company logos that accompany their brochures may have been given to a product or service not related to the product being offered. Some brochures have a fine print that says the company logos attached to the product means that product demonstrations have been conducted there, nothing more.

3. Request the manufacturers/importers and/or sellers of purported ESDs to substantiate their claims that the use of their devices will result in savings of electricity consumption. Look for manufacturer performance guarantees and/or warranties for the device. Better if the sellers can provide a certification from the Department of Energy or any of its duly accredited testing laboratories substantiating their claims of energy savings.

 

 

If you have any doubts about any energy savings device being offered by a vendor, you may contact the Department of Energy on their hotline (02) 840-2267 or (02) 840-1401 to 21. You can also visit their website at www.doe.gov.ph

[pedrupenduku]

any electrical engineers here?

I just want to know what causes faulty electrical wirings? as in anything that causes electrical wiring...

 

at home kasi yung light namin sa kitchen is kapag turn on mo yung switch hindi agag sya umiilaw kailang mo off and on yung switch bago sya umilaw, will this cause faulty wiring? ....

 

i just don't want it to lead to worst things...

 

why does faulty wiring causes fire? if you have a circuit breaker and it turns off right away if there is like an short circuit or something...

 

thanks in advance..

Edited November 1, 2006 by pedrupenduku

[mason_rod]

any electrical engineers here?

I just want to know what causes faulty electrical wirings? as in anything that causes electrical wiring...

 

at home kasi yung light namin sa kitchen is kapag turn on mo yung switch hindi agag sya umiilaw kailang mo off and on yung switch bago sya umilaw, will this cause faulty wiring? ....

 

First of all, faulty electrical wiring is caused by faulty electrical installation or faulty design.

 

Kung luma na switch, baka kailangan na palitan or if ur using flourescent baka starter or the bulb itself. Have it checked at the hardware.

 

i just don't want it to lead to worst things...

 

why does faulty wiring causes fire? if you have a circuit breaker and it turns off right away if there is like an short circuit or something...

 

thanks in advance..

 

Underrated wire heats up when overloaded kaya nakakasunog. If your breaker always trip, there is a short circuit somewhere. Diconnect all appliance connected to the line to see what's causing the short circuit or better yet, call a qualified electrician asap.

[pedrupenduku]

tnx for the reply sir