Impact of Voltage Fluctuations on Appliances and Their Electricity Consumption

8/24/2015 ImpactofVoltageFluctuationsonappliancesandtheirelectricityconsumption.:BijliBachao

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Impact of Voltage Fluctuations on appliances and their electricity consumption.Bijli Bachao Team August 10, 2015

Hindi Translation: -

Voltage Fluctuations are quite common in most places in India. No wonder we at Bijli Bachao get so manyquestions on our page for voltage stabilisers: working, sizing and power consumptionpeople have is that voltage fluctuations can harm their appliances. This is true to a great extent for someappliances. But people hardly consider the impact of voltage fluctuations on electricity consumption. In thisarticle we will not only cover the impact of voltage fluctuations on appliances but will also tell you about itsimpact on power consumption of various appliances.

Standard input voltage in India

In India, electricity distribution is at 230V for singlephase and 415 V for three phase. In a three phaseconnection, the connection is divided into 3 lineseach of 230 V. All appliances sold in India work in

the range of 220-240 V. Voltage lower and higher than this range needs to be corrected if the appliancecannot handle that voltage. Voltages at many places in India go down to 150-160 V on a regular basis.

Two types of appliances

Different type of appliances have different behavior on voltage fluctuations. And if you are planning toput a voltage stabiliser, you need to work accordingly.

There are two kinds of appliances: 1) Without Motor (resistive load) and 2) With Motor (inductive load).

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Appliances without motor include:

Luminaire like Bulbs/Tube lights/CFLs.Heaters like water heaters and room heaters.Electronics like Televisions/Music Systems/DVD/Home Theatre/ Laptops/Phones.

Appliances with motor include:

Air ConditionersRefrigeratorsCeiling FansMixer GrindersPumpsWashing Machines

Appliances without motors (resistive load) and their behaviour on voltage fluctuations

Appliances like luminaire (bulbs, tube lights and CFLs) and heaters (like room heaters and water heaters) do not need voltage stabilisers. When the voltage is less,less current flows through them. When voltage is more, more current will flow through them. So when voltage is less, the output of these appliances will be less orthe bulb will give less light, room heater will heat less, water heater will heat slowly. And as the bulb will give lesser light the power consumption of the bulb will beless. In fact many municipalities reduce the voltage of street lights at times when the light requirement is less to reduce the power consumption of the bulbs.However when the voltage is higher than normal, more current will flow through these appliances. And if the high voltage is consistent, and thus the high current isconsistent, it may result in burning of the bulb or the appliance. If it does not burn, it will consume more electricity.

Most electronics like TVs, DVD players, etc do not work at 230 V. These appliances have an internal device called SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply) which convertsincoming 230 V to 12V or 24V (whichever is required by the appliance). Thus none of the electronic appliances need voltage stabilisers. I repeat, appliances do not need voltage stabilisers. They are neither impacted by high voltage, nor by low voltage. So electronic devices do not need any protection. Thereare products available in market because people feel the need of protecting their appliances, but these devices do not need any protection. The power consumptionof electronic products does not change with voltage fluctuations. Also, their output does not change.

What is power surge?

Power surge or spike is fast, short sudden increase in voltage and current that can cause damage to sensitive electronics. It typically happens when there is shortcircuit or there is lightening/thunderstorm. A surge protector or spike guard that is available in local market can protect against short circuit, but there is nothingavailable in the market that can protect electronics from power surges during lightening. However the main thing that gets damaged during a power surge is theSMPS. So for e.g. in case of laptop, the laptop charger is the one that will get damaged in case of power surge. The laptop will still be safe. Similarly in TV only thepower circuit will get damaged and not any other part. The best protection from power surges due to lightening is to switch off the TV from main supply during thatperiod. However if you are worried about getting your appliances burnt then you should buy a surge protector. You should check this link before buying one:



protector: What are they? What to look for while buying one?

Appliances with motors (inductive load) and their behavior on voltage fluctuations

All appliances with motors have an operating voltage range. Appliance like a ceiling fan have much larger operating voltage range and thus they are able to workeven at lower voltages. But appliances like air conditioners have very small operating voltage range and thus they do not work at low voltages. If the voltageprovided to them is lower than their operating voltage range, then either they will not start at all, and if they are already running, they will start producing ahumming sound. This humming sound happens as these motors draw more current to run the system. This can lead to over heating and burning of the motor ifpersistent. Thus saving induction motors from voltage fluctuations is very important.

At high voltages these appliances draw more current only at the time of starting, but once they reach steady state the current is much less. But still the high startingcurrent can damage the system and thus appliances with motors need to be protected both from high as well as low voltages. So you do need to put voltagestabiliser to protect these appliances. However before putting a voltage stabiliser, it is very important to find the operating voltage range of the appliance and thefluctuations that happen in your area. For e.g several refrigerator models available in market these days have large operating voltage range and thus these modelsdo not need voltage stabilisers (unless your voltage goes below the operating range).

As far as power consumption of appliances with motors is concerned, it depends on the voltage as well as the load on the machine. Typically if the load is less thanefficiency of the motor is less at standard voltage. For example, if your room need 0.5 tons cooling and you put 1.5 ton AC, efficiency will be lower but you get theadvantage of quick cooling. If your washing machine can handle 7 kg load and you have put just 2 kg, then its efficiency will be low. This is because you are usingmore energy to do small work. However at lower load if the voltage is less, the efficiency improves. So if you know that your AC is oversized and input voltage in yourhouse is 200 V or 210V then energy consumption will be lower.

At full load high voltage is beneficial for motors as their efficiency increases. Here is what Bureau of Energy Efficiency mentions for inductive loads:

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(Source: http://www.beeindia.in/energy_managers_auditors/documents/guide_books/3Ch2.pdf )

Note: 120,110 and 90 in voltage above are % of 230V.

Conclusion

We receive several questions from people asking for voltage stabilisers for various appliances. Please note that for luminaries and electronics, there is no need ofputting a voltage stabiliser. However if you want to protect an appliance that has motor (or compressor), then you do need to protect it from both high as well as lowvoltages. And you do need a voltage stabiliser for it.

As far as electricity consumption is concerned, low voltages reduces electricity consumption whereas high voltages can increase your electricity consumption. If it isjust slightly low consistently (say about 210V), then it is good for you or if it is slightly high (say about 240V) then it will increase your electricity consumption. But ifthe voltage is consistently lower than 190V or higher than 250-260V, then you should lodge a complaint with your electricity distribution company as it can damagesome of your appliances.

Also please note that voltage stabilisers have their own electricity losses which depend on size of the stabiliser. A stabiliser will typically have 3-4% losses and thusnever oversize the stabiliser. A 3 kVA stabiliser will have 3% losses on 3 kVA even if you are running just 1 kVA load on it. So if you have 1 kVA load then put 1 kVAstabiliser for it. Also, look for the appliances which has high voltage range, because that will save you from buying a voltage stabiliser and certainly saving onelectricity too. Also make sure that if you have a voltage stabiliser, you switch it off from mains as even if the appliance is not used and stabiliser is on, it will loose 1%



electricity consistently. So if you have a 1 kVA stabiliser on an air conditioner it will loose about 0.15 units of electricity in an hour even if AC is not used.

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142 Comments on "Impact of Voltage Fluctuations on appliances and their electricity consumption."

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my led TV IS NOT WORKING OR STOPPED TO TAKE HIGH VOLTAGE. I AM USING V GUARD STABILIZER BUT STILL FROM PAST 2 TO 3 DAYS VOLTAGE ISHIGH AND OUTPUT IS NOT COMING. HOW TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM.

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You will have to call up the customer support of your TV company. They can send an engineer to check the same.

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Hello,

Thanks for all the time you guys put in to answering every question. It means a lot and it provides an interesting read.

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BijliBachaoTeam

Sonam

I have a couple of questions. I live in Colaba, Mumbai. Hows the power distribution here? Do we suffer from dirty power and power fluctuations?Should I get a ups with voltage regulation like this

http://www.amazon.in/APC-UPS-Model-BR1000G-IN-Battery/dp/B0038ZTZ3W?tag=googinhydr18418-21&kpid=B0038ZTZ3W&tag=googinkenshoo-21&ascsubtag=c92f60dc-6425-4fa3-9d76-3265c103fe9f

I would also like to know the minimum recommended joule requirement for a surge protector. I would like to know because I have a PC with a 520w100-240VAC power supply unit.

Should I just go for this

http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B0083T23I2/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?qid=1439122014&sr=8-16&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Surge+protector

http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B00YED16UW/ref=pd_aw_sbs_147_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FCK8N91R383E0PEMEVG

Which one of those three do you recommend?

Please note. My main concern is the damage voltage fluctuations can do to my PC, I dont care about data loss because I dont have power cuts in myarea. Maybe once a year. But the problem is I dont know if Colaba suffers from bad electricity.

Thanks!

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Hi Sonam,

Mumbai in general has extremely good power quality and mostly such protection is not required. Any surge protector with joule rating of 400and above is great. Firstly I do not think you need a UPS as there are hardly any power cuts. As for surge protector, one from Belkin are better.Using a surge protector can not only protect your appliance from bad power quality but also from short circuits. So you should go for surgeprotector, howevre I do not think UPS is required.

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Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I wasnt expecting such a quick response! Anyway I will take your advice and stick with a surge protector.

I do have one question. Your article has me a bit confused. You say this

I repeat, electronic appliances do not need voltage stabilisers. They are neither impacted by high voltage, nor by low voltage. So electronicdevices do not need any protection.

Then you say this

Power surge or spike is fast, short sudden increase in voltage and current that can cause damage to sensitive electronics. A surge protector orspike guard that is available in local market can protect against short circuit.

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BijliBachaoTeam

Sonam

sushant

First you say electronics do not need voltage stabilisers and any protection cause they arent impacted by an increase in voltage, then you sayan increase in voltage can damage electronics and that you do need protection.

Please dont think Im trying to be rude. I just need that part to be explained to me. :)

Thank you so much! :)

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Ideal voltage in India is about 230-240V on a phase. In general in India when voltage fluctuations happen, the voltages go down (less than 200V). It is typically observed that the voltages go down to about 150-160V (some people have complained that they get 110 V, however based onthe feedback we got from electricity distribution companies, it cannot go that low). But electronic appliances have operating voltage range of110-260V. So low voltage protection is not required. High voltage during voltage fluctuations is rare. However people have observed steady highvoltage of 250-260V at some places.

Power surge is very different. It is momentary (for a very short duration) high voltage in the line. It can be caused due to lightening, short circuit,etc. Regular voltage stabilizers by definition are not meant to handle sudden surge. They are meant to correct steady low or high voltage. Somevoltage stabilizers available in market do have surge protection built in. But you also get dedicated surge protectors in the market (that justprotect from surge and do not regulate voltage).

Surge protectors just absorb extra sudden energy that comes in form of high current and do not let it pass through. Whereas voltage stabilizerstry to regulate voltage i.e. bring the voltage to a level which appliance can work on. When surges happen, they are momentary, and no stabilizercan stabilize it (as stabilization still takes a few seconds, while surge happens in milli seconds).

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Wow. That was an amazing response. Very detailed. Thank you.

I have one last question. How do I check the earthing in my flat? I need to know if my power is properly grounded or the surge protector mightbe useless. Correct?

The reason I ask is because whenever I touch my computer, I sometimes get a shock. Is this something to worry about? Will my PC get damagedby this?

Thanks.

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Hi team, can voltage fluctuation damage the compressor of AC? what range stabilizer will required for 1T, 1.5T and 2T AC?

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MahaveerJain

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Paritosh

BijliBachaoTeam

NKUMAR

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Whether voltage below 230 would need more amps and if it goes above 230, still the amps need of equipment remains same so when it comes downfrom 230, there is loss due to higher amps and when it goes up, due to higher voltage with same amps the consumption still goes up. Further due tovoltage fluctuation there is loss of life of equipment. Whether this understanding of mine is right. Kindly help me to understand.

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It will depend on the kind of appliances. Some are resistive load (light lights, TVs, etc) and some are inductive load (Motors, ACs, etc). Amps willgo down with low voltage on resistive load. But Amps will go up for inductive loads. With high voltage the result will be opposite.

Voltage fluctuations can certainly cause loss of life of equipment if the voltage is beyond the operating voltage range. Many appliances like TVs,Refrigerators these days have higher operating voltage range so it may not cause problem to them.

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hi,Please tell me the difference between 4 kva air conditioner stabilizer and 4 kva mainline stabilizer?

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Hi Paritosh,AC stabilizers basically have a time delay relay function which is used to protect the AC, as the AC stabilizer makes sure that AC does not switchon immediately.

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i want to operate my AC .but my home is not provided with enough voltage . can i use stepup trabsformer to opoerate my ACs

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arjunSingh

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nan

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paresh

BijliBachaoTeam

Certainly you can. You can use a voltage stabilizer. However that will result in increase in current and so your wiring should be able to handle it.

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In my area.. Voltage droped to 150v at night time because so many people start using their AC My voltage stabilizer works fine till 160v but whenvoltage drops further then acs motor jamed.. So my ques is . if i use two stablizer like A stabilizer convert 160 into 230 and give output of A stabilizerto B.. Then B works and convert 230 into 250 or 260 Can i do this ? Could ac will work fine ? Both stabilizers work together ?

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It can work but you will have double the electricity loss as voltage stabilizers have 2-3% electricity losses. You may go for a new voltagestabilizer that can handle 110-290 V or 90-290V.

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hello, what stabiliser is desired for 1 ton ac??

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3 to 4 KVA stabilizer would be good for 1 ton AC.

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respected sir ,i have o general 1.5 ton ac .i have high volatge 250-260 problem in our area but if i use stabilizer then output volatage between 195-205.so i want to know that should i use stabilizer or not? which voltage range less damage to ac unit 195-205 or 250-260.

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tanmay

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Hi Paresh,It is better to use voltage stabilizer for your AC. As 250-260 voltage is more dangerous.

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Hello,Am tanmay here and am happy with amount of valuable informations given to people.

I stay at thane ghodbunder road and power isprovided by MSEB.

I have installed 2 inverter AC,i need to know isvoltage stabiliser required for these appliances?

I am not aware of voltage fluctuations but there isfrequent power cuts.

Please recommend a voltage stabiliser and both are 1 ton inverter ac.

Also suggest stabiliser for refrigerator which is samsung 415L inverter fridge.

Thanks.

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Hi Tanmay,

Inverter ACs do not need high starting current. For a 1 ton inverter AC 1.5 kVA stabilizer should be more than enough. Also power cuts shouldnot impact ACs, only power surges are more damaging for inverter ACs. If you think there is voltage fluctuation (which I think is not existent inthane) then you can go for Vguard VG400. For the fridge also you may not need stabilizer as most models available in market today havestabilizer free operation. But you can call up Samsung and check about your model. If you need a stabilizer then you can go for VGuard VG100.

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Impact of Voltage Fluctuations on Appliances and Their Electricity Consumption

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