I found this:
"Another term that is useful in this discussion is power factor (PF). The power factor is defined as the ratio of W to VA:
Power factor = PF = W/VA (5)
Power factor is always a number between zero and one because the watts drawn by a device are always less than or equal to the volt-amperes. Note that it is possible for a circuit to have a large voltage across it and to draw substantial current, but consume no energy (dissipate zero watts).
While this seems counter-intuitive, it is true if the circuit is purely reactive (a pure capacitor or pure inductor). The circuit will do no work and produce no heat, so it is drawing (and dissipating) zero watts. Yet it can draw substantial current, resulting in substantial VA."
... I did notice the watt reading on the killawatt was considerably lower than the product of V x A, when taking readings of the pm4b. It was 798 W compared to 1024 VA.
So how is this new info useful? Thanks.
