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Holt Systems

Power factor correction unit failed? Know today, not at invoice time

We fit current sensors to every capacitor step and text you the step number when one stops working, before it lifts your kVA charge.

  • MeasuresCurrent on every step
  • AlertSMS naming the dead step
  • Reads every1 to 5 minutes
Price a PFC panel alert See the SMS alerts or call 07 2150 3666

PFC step 6 current

Dashboard view

Step 6
0 A
Step 8
0 A
Steps 1 to 5, 7
35 A
Panel temp
41 °C
0 17.5 35 Alert under 17 A 8 am10 am10:4212 pm4 pm9 am Wed A
Example readings for illustration.

up to 40%

RenewEconomy reported charged units rose by up to 40 percent for some industrial customers when Energex moved to kVA billing. Worst below 0.92 power factor.

Source: RenewEconomy

1 July 2021

Ergon Energy Retail says large customers with a smart meter or demand register must be on a kVA tariff from this date.

Source: Ergon Energy Retail

A dead capacitor step doesn't trip anything. It just costs you.

When a power factor correction unit loses a step, nothing alarms and production keeps running. Your power factor drops and the kVA figure behind your demand charge climbs.

A fuse blows, a contactor sticks or burns, a capacitor wears out from heat, or someone leaves the controller in manual. From the door the panel looks fine.

You find out when the invoice lands, and that month is already paid.

  • The controller can show a good power factor at light load while the bank has lost the capacity you need at peak.

Two of eight steps lost for three months

  • A factory peaks at 400 kW.
  • Power factor is 0.95 with a healthy bank.
  • Two steps fail and power factor falls to 0.80 (assumed).
  • The $20 per kVA per month rate is illustrative. Use the rate in your tariff.
Healthy: 400 kW / 0.95421 kVA
Failed: 400 kW / 0.80500 kVA
Extra kVA at the monthly peak79 kVA
Extra cost per monthabout $1,580

About $4,700 over three months, for a fault that tripped nothing.

What we put in the PFC panel

  • Split-core current sensors

    Clip on one phase of each capacitor step output and report the current that step is drawing.

    Read every 1 to 5 min

  • Controller alarm input

    Picks up the dry contact on the controller's fault relay.

    Alarm after 10 min

  • Panel temperature probe

    Sits near the enclosure fans and warns you when the panel runs well above its usual temperature.

    Indicative only

  • Incomer meter (optional)

    Reads kW, kVA and power factor at the main switchboard,.

    kW, kVA, power factor

  • Gateway with Starlink or 4G

    Collects readings from the panel and sends them to your phone.

    Mains power, tested before closing

How a power factor correction unit alert works on your panel

Power factor correction unit on a factory switchboard with two failed steps Single line diagram of a factory main switchboard. An incomer meter and the motor loads connect to the main busbar. A feeder runs to a power factor correction panel with eight capacitor steps, each fitted with a current transformer. Six steps show 35 amps. Steps 6 and 8 are greyed out with 0 amps. Below, a bar chart compares billed demand at the monthly peak: 421 kVA at 0.95 power factor when healthy and 500 kVA at 0.80 with the two steps lost, an extra 79 kVA, about $1,580 a month at an assumed $20 per kVA. At the bottom, the alert path runs from the step current nodes to the site gateway, to Starlink or 4G, to SMS and email. Main switchboard, single line Incomer meter kW, kVA, power factor Motors, compressors, transformers Main busbar PFC panel, a CT on each step Alarm contact and 35 A per live step Step 135 A Step 235 A Step 335 A Step 435 A Step 535 A Step 60 A Step 735 A Step 80 A Billed kVA at the monthly peak 421 kVA 500 kVA Healthy, 0.95 Two lost, 0.80 +79 kVA about $1,580 a month at an assumed $20 Alert path Step CTnodes Sitegateway Starlinkor 4G SMS andemail
Single line diagram of a factory main switchboard with eight capacitor steps, each fitted with a current transformer. Steps 6 and 8 read 0 amps, billed kVA rises from 421 to 500, and the alert goes by gateway and Starlink or 4G to SMS.
  1. 1

    A sensor on every step

    A split-core current sensor clips onto one phase of each step output. We also wire in the controller's alarm contact.

  2. 2

    We log what each step should draw

    A 25 kvar step at 415 V pulls about 35 A. That becomes the baseline.

  3. 3

    A gateway sends it out

    Metal panels block radio, so the antenna sits outside the enclosure. Starlink or 4G does the rest, no site network needed.

  4. 4

    You get the step number

    A step commanded on but drawing under about half its expected current raises an SMS and email.

What your phone shows when a step dies

PFC panel alerts

  1. Tue 10:42 am

    PFC step 6 commanded on but drawing 0 A, expected 35 A. Check the fuse and contactor.

  2. Tue 11:12 am

    PFC steps 6 and 8 both at 0 A. Power factor 0.84 at the incomer. Urgent: maintenance please check.

  3. Wed 1:30 pm

    PFC all 8 steps drawing current. Power factor 0.95. Back to normal.

Messages go to the people you nominate, by SMS to any phone.

Messages go to the people you nominate, by SMS to any phone and by email, with the reading and the time in every alert.

A glance at the controller versus a reading every few minutes

TopicTodayWith monitoring
Dead step foundAt the next shutdown or invoiceSame day, by SMS
Which stepOpen the panel and test each oneThe alert names the step number
Controller alarmOften wired to nothingWired in, SMS after 10 minutes

What power factor correction monitoring costs

We set a fixed price after a short scoping call or site visit. It depends on step count, distance to the gateway and backhaul. Ongoing support is available as a plan after handover.

Price a PFC panel alert

The fixed price covers

  • Current sensors, alarm input and panel temperature probe
  • Gateway and Starlink or 4G backhaul
  • Installation and electrical work under licence 1513082
  • Alert set-up, baseline readings and two weeks of tuning
  • An ongoing support plan: we keep it running, tune alerts and replace sensors

Power factor correction on a factory switchboard

Ergon covers regional Queensland and Energex covers the south east. Both bill large sites on kVA, so a dead step shows up in the peak month. We pair this with a kVA demand charge peak warning so you see the peak coming.

Hot, humid summers and a poorly ventilated panel shorten capacitor life. Sites that run seasonally, like gins, mills and grain handlers, often find an off-season failure on the first big invoice.

Running crushers and screens? See quarry power factor correction alerts. To see where the energy goes line by line, look at energy sub metering.

Long switchroom lined with motor control and switchgear panels
Illustrative photo. Photo: Vjanodic WERSOV on Pexels

What this won't do

  • It doesn't switch or control steps. It reads current and sends an alert.
  • Current on one phase can miss a capacitor that has partly failed but still draws current.
  • It doesn't replace thermal imaging, capacitor protection, isolation procedures or a harmonic check where drives are fitted. High voltage banks need a separate assessment.

With you every step

We start from your panel's single line diagram and twelve months of invoices, so the alerts match what you're really paying for.

  1. 1

    Discovery

    We review the single line diagram, controller, last 12 months of invoices and where the gateway can sit.

  2. 2

    Design

    You get a fixed-price proposal listing the sensors, step alert rules, gateway and backhaul, and how we'll check results.

  3. 3

    Build and test

    We build and test the current sensors, alarm input and gateway together in the workshop first.

  4. 4

    Install and commission

    Our electricians isolate and prove the panel dead, fit the sensors, log each step's baseline and tune alerts.

  5. 5

    Ongoing support

    You get the dashboard, your nominated alert recipients and the baseline records, with support for changes.

Why Holt Systems

We design, install and commission every system ourselves, then look after it with an ongoing support plan. Monitoring supplements the site's own control, protection, fire and safety systems; it does not replace them.

Alerts
SMS to any phone, no app
Based in
Brisbane, QLD
Electrical licence
QLD 1513082
After install
Ongoing support plans
Call
07 2150 3666

Power factor correction failure questions

How do I know if my power factor correction is working?

The controller display shows power factor at one moment, often at light load. Step current shows what each capacitor step delivers at the peak. We monitor both, so a step commanded on but drawing nothing is reported by step number.

Why has my kVA demand gone up?

Billed kVA is real power divided by power factor. If capacitor steps have dropped out, power factor falls and kVA rises for the same kW. New motors and load growth do it too, so we compare step current with incomer readings.

Can monitoring tell me which step has failed?

Yes, when a current sensor is fitted to each step. The alert names the step that is commanded on but drawing well under its expected current. An incomer meter alone shows the power factor result but can't pick out the step.

What happens when power factor correction capacitors fail?

A fuse blows, a contactor sticks, or a capacitor loses capacitance through heat, harmonics or age. The kVA figure on the bill rises. Failing capacitors can also run hot, so we add a panel temperature alert.

Will you replace the failed capacitors or contactors?

Monitoring finds the fault. Replacing fuses, contactors or capacitors is electrical work. Our licensed electricians can do it under QLD Electrical Contractor Licence 1513082 once the panel is isolated and proved dead.

Sources

  1. kVA Tariffs, Ergon Energy Retail
  2. Queensland businesses face new price gouge, RenewEconomy
  3. Power Factor Correction Units: Reducing Demand Charges and Optimising Industrial Supply, Westek
  4. Ergon Energy Network Tariff Guide 2025-26, Energy Queensland (Ergon Energy Network)

Price a PFC panel alert

Tell us what you need to watch and where. We confirm the sensors, gateway location and alert recipients, then give you a fixed price.

Or email hello@holtsystems.com.au

Your details are handled in accordance with our privacy policy.

  1. 1

    Tell us about the site

    A few lines on the assets, distances and what you need to know about.

  2. 2

    A call to scope it

    We confirm the sensors, gateway location and alert recipients, and whether a site visit is needed.

  3. 3

    Fixed price

    You receive a defined scope and a fixed price before any work starts.

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