EEK! #6 – AC Power, RMS, and VA vs W

You probably do this all the time, but you don’t even know it.

I’m talking about AC power calculations with P = V x I.

Technically, it works. But when you think about it, it shouldn’t. AC has constantly changing voltage and current over time – unlike DC.

So how on earth does it work?

Well, the short version is: RMS, or root mean square!

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Smart Meters are worse than you think

I recently learned the hard way what’s happening with smart meters in Europe. The same type of smart meter they’re using here in France has already been deployed in many EU countries.

Mostly, we hear only about the negative health effects of wireless smart meters, but the ones here only send data back over the power lines.

Nevertheless, it turns out smart meters here are still being used to pretty much screw many over.

In short, smart meters may mean less juice to power stuff, and more frequent main breaker trips as people exceed their (now reduced) capacity.

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