Why is the power factor important?

But what is the power factor really?

It is a concept that applies to LED high bays or any other electrical device. This tells us the percentage of energy actually used by the LED high bays and transformed into useful work. The higher the power factor, the more efficient it will be and the longer its useful life.

Unlike other traditional lighting systems, LED high bays, must be supplied with direct current, so they need a driver that adapts the current to their needs.

LED high bays and traditional systems to fulfill their function must consume part of the energy. For this reason, all the energy consumed is not transformed into useful work, but the total power consumed ¨called apparent power¨ is the sum of two other powers:

• Active power (kW): this is the electrical energy transformed into useful work, in the case of LED high bays it is the power that really uses our to light.
• Reactive power (kWr): this is the energy that the LED high bay driver actually uses for its operation. ​

But the fact that the power factor is low not only affects the energy efficiency of LED high bays, and the lifespan of it, it can also affect the amount of the electricity bill you receive. Electricity companies charge a cost for this reactive energy when it exceeds certain levels.

In BOE ITC 1723/2009, the sanction for reactive energy consumption is envisaged and all electrical distributors apply it.