Mobile Automation measures power factor on industrial sites, reports what the data actually shows, and where correction is warranted, sizes, supplies and installs the equipment — with the switchboard work carried out by our own electricians.
Poor power factor means a site draws more current than the work it performs requires. Distribution networks charge for that, and the charge is often buried in the demand component of the bill where nobody looks at it. It also loads cables, switchgear and transformers harder than they need to be.
The difficulty is that power factor is not constant. It shifts with shift patterns, with which machines are running, with how heavily motors are loaded, and it changes again every time a line is reconfigured or a drive is replaced. A design-stage calculation from years ago tells you very little about what a plant is doing today.
So the work starts with measurement, not with a quote for capacitors.
How we monitor
Four approaches, depending on what the site needs and what question is being asked.
- Temporary logging study — a logger installed on the main switchboard for a period, typically a week or a month, then removed and the data written up. Long enough to cover a full production cycle and see how power factor moves across shifts and product changes.
- Permanent metering — fixed power meters installed in the switchboard, reporting continuously. Suits sites that want ongoing visibility rather than a snapshot, or that have made a change and want to see whether it held.
- SCADA and dashboard integration — metering data brought into a plant SCADA system or dashboard alongside production data. Power factor stops being an annual line item on a bill and becomes something the maintenance team can see next to everything else.
- Spot measurement during other works — where we are already on site for a switchboard upgrade, maintenance visit or compliance testing, power factor can be checked as part of that visit.
What the reporting covers
Measurement is only useful if the output is something you can act on or take to a financial decision.
- Power factor across the logging period, showing how it varies rather than a single averaged figure
- Real and reactive power demand, and when the peaks occur
- Where in the plant the reactive load is coming from, where the metering allows that to be identified
- Whether correction is warranted, and at what point in the system it should sit
- Practical recommendations, including where the answer is that correction is not the right spend
Correction
Where the data supports it, Mobile Automation can size, supply and install correction equipment. Because we are a Registered Electrical Contractor, the switchboard work, the installation and the commissioning are handled by the same team that took the measurements — not quoted across three parties with nobody accountable for the result.
Correction is not always the answer. Where the load profile is highly variable, where harmonics are present, or where the payback does not stack up against the capital cost, we will say so. The point of measuring first is to be able to make that call on evidence.
Where correction is installed, the same monitoring can be used afterwards to confirm it is doing what it was specified to do.
Suitable for
- Manufacturing and production facilities with significant motor load
- Sites where the demand or capacity component of the electricity bill has grown
- Plants approaching their mains or transformer capacity
- Facilities that have added machinery without reviewing the supply
- Sites with existing correction equipment that has never been verified
- Maintenance and facilities teams building a case for capital expenditure
Local service area
Mobile Automation supports power factor monitoring and correction enquiries across Melbourne, the eastern and south-eastern suburbs and broader Victoria, including Dandenong South, Clayton, Bayswater, Kilsyth, Scoresby, Carrum Downs, Laverton North, Thomastown, Lilydale, the Yarra Valley and surrounding industrial areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is power factor monitoring?
Power factor monitoring measures how effectively a site converts the electrical supply it draws into useful work. Mobile Automation installs metering or logging equipment at the switchboard, records the site's real behaviour under production conditions, and reports what is actually happening rather than what a nameplate calculation suggests.
Do you only monitor, or can you fix it as well?
Both. Monitoring establishes what the problem is; correction addresses it. Mobile Automation can size, supply and install correction equipment, and as a Registered Electrical Contractor the switchboard work is carried out by our own electricians rather than subcontracted.
How long does monitoring need to run?
Long enough to capture the site's normal production cycle. A logger left on the main switchboard for a week or a month will show how power factor varies with shifts, equipment and load, which a single spot reading cannot.
Can power factor be monitored permanently?
Yes. Fixed metering can be installed in the switchboard to report continuously, and the data can be brought into a plant SCADA or dashboard alongside production data so that changes are visible as they happen.
Can you check power factor during other works?
Yes. Where we are already on site for a switchboard upgrade, maintenance visit or compliance testing, power factor can be measured as part of that visit.
Have more questions? Get in touch with our team and we'll be happy to help.