Client has eight original washer-extractors from the late 90s, big machines, across-the-line starting,
no correction. Utility applies a power factor penalty below 0.90 and the account is sitting at 0.78
to 0.82 depending on the month.
Penalty is running about 340 a month. Capacitor bank quotes are coming in around 9,500 installed for
the whole panel.
Payback pencils at a bit over two years, which is fine, except the client is 3 years into a 10 year
lease and is not sure they are renewing. So the real question is whether the capacitor bank is worth
it on a 7 year horizon with a possible early exit, and whether any of it is portable to a new
location.
Separate question that may matter more. Two of those eight machines run maybe 20 percent duty. If we
retired those two and redistributed, does that move power factor meaningfully or is the correction
almost entirely about the magnetizing current of the motors that stay? My instinct says the latter but
I would rather ask than model it badly.
no correction. Utility applies a power factor penalty below 0.90 and the account is sitting at 0.78
to 0.82 depending on the month.
Penalty is running about 340 a month. Capacitor bank quotes are coming in around 9,500 installed for
the whole panel.
Payback pencils at a bit over two years, which is fine, except the client is 3 years into a 10 year
lease and is not sure they are renewing. So the real question is whether the capacitor bank is worth
it on a 7 year horizon with a possible early exit, and whether any of it is portable to a new
location.
Separate question that may matter more. Two of those eight machines run maybe 20 percent duty. If we
retired those two and redistributed, does that move power factor meaningfully or is the correction
almost entirely about the magnetizing current of the motors that stay? My instinct says the latter but
I would rather ask than model it badly.