Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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  • #4076
    LV Auditor
    Participant

    How do you model a KVAR unit?

    #4259
    Gamaliel Lodge
    Keymaster

    We don’t offer direct support for this technology.   You could model it by manually improving the efficiency specs of the affected units, but you would need a rough estimate of the impact on each unit.  I have only seen estimates of whole house savings.  If you can get those estimates, they would be easy to apply for most units.

    • EAE – for furnace fans and boiler pumps
    • HSPF – for heat pumps heating
    • SEER – for cooling
    • kWh/yr – for refrigerators and freezers
    • % Use – for washer, dryer, and dishwasher
    • watts – ventilation fans

    If the KVAR unit is already installed, then apply the reduction to all base units and to any improved units that will be part of a considered improvement package.

    If you are trying to model the KVAR as an improvement, then follow these steps

    • Specify all other improvements normally
    • Apply KVAR adjustment to each improved unit
    • Specify an improvement for all other units that is identical to the base unit, with the exception of the KVAR adjustment.
    • Be sure to override the cost of those “base” improvements and set them to zero
    • Either apply the cost of the KVAR itself to an additional row on the Improvements/Costs table or distribute it among all affected units.

    I’ve added this to our list of future projects, but it will remain low priority unless we begin to receive more requests.  Yours was the first.

    #4263
    Les Lazareck
    Participant

    Do KVAR’s always reduce energy consumption? i.e. Are some motors/equipment not improved?

    #4264
    LV Auditor
    Participant

    The manufacturer says their distributors will first send a licensed electrician to the home to measure power factor.  If power factor is already high, the unit won’t help.  They say they will only install a unit if this test shows the unit will improve energy use by at least 6%.

    #4267
    Gamaliel Lodge
    Keymaster

    My understanding is the technology will improve the efficiency of any electric induction motor.  The potential improvement for each motor depends on how the motor is sized relative to the it’s working loads and I think it varies significantly.

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