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Tutorial Many municipalities have the funds, but don't realize it. These funds exist in the maintenance and operating budgets. It just takes a little creative thinking to utilize the money. within the confines of the maintenance budget. POWER FACTOR CORRECTION Hopefully you are aware that AC power comes in three varieties. But if not, let's review this without getting too technical in regard to terms. To help explain this, let's compare these three types of power to a full beer glass. In this analogy the power company is the beer vendor. Let's assume the beer vendor charges based on the volume of the glass, but the glass is filled with foam and actual beer (see Figure 3 on the prior page). In our analogy, the consumer wants the most beer One Company For All Your Filter Media. 888-204-9656 Phone: 800-344-5770 Fax: • • www.CEIfiltration.com • • • • • • Compliant with AWWA and Food Chemical Codex standards. • • • 38 Water Online The Magazine, Cleanwater Edition ■ with very little foam. In power, the beer is a type of power that is used by lights, pumps, etc. The foam is a type of power that cannot be used by the devices in a facility. Unfortunately, pumps and motors tend to create a lot of "foam". So, how can we minimize the "foam" load? This is where power factor correction comes in. Equipment placed at the front of the facility can convert this "foam" into good quality "beer". With the foam minimized, the total volume of the glass is reduced, and the power company believes less power has been consumed, and therefore the bill drops. Power factor is often looked at when a facility is constructed; however, as the load changes over the years, this may be overlooked. Devices put in when the facility was new, may be not providing the proper correction, and a municipality may be overpaying for its energy and not be aware of it. Greensand (Short Lead Times) Activated Carbon (All types) Pumice (Filter AG) Sand Gravel Anthracite Calcite Magnesium Oxide (Flowmag/Corosex) Garnet KDF 55 & 85 Resins wateronline.com We have seen that many options exist to improve facilities without relying on the traditional method of creating a project and securing a loan. There are many other examples out there — all it takes is creative thinking and a bit of exploration to find the best options for your municipality. Many utilities are not as restricted as they may think, which is good news in today's environment of limited funds and unpredictable energy costs. Grant Van Hemert P.E. analyzes trends, and existing technology, to find solutions and educate the marketplace via articles, case studies, presentations, and professional committee leadership. Since 2005, Van Hemert has been providing this expertise to Schneider Electric's Water and Wastewater Competency Center. Mr. Van Hemert's experience in water and wastewater dates to 1995.