Larry, No, it would not. As has already been noted, adding capacitance to the line does not affect kWh, which is the energy that does work and which you pay for. Indeed, if every customer on a grid were to achieve and maintain a unity PF, the utility would benefit by being able to defer the purchase and installation of capital equipment such as substations and uprated power distribution networks.
The most obvious indicator that someone is stealing power is a sudden and large drop in the meter readings when the occupancy of the premises has not changed. The utility's Fraud Investigation Unit will likely install a test meter upstream on a pole or in a vault where the suspect customer cannot get to it, and compare the two meters. Power theft seldom goes undetected, and the punishment is severe. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Larry Horlick Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2010 9:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Adding capacitors to lower electric bill And if the "capacitor trick" did work, would this not be theft? lh <snip>
