What is Active Energy?
The energy that does real work, billed in kWh, forming the main line item of consumption.
Active energy is the energy component in an electrical grid that actually does work (produces light, heat, motion) and is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The largest item on your electricity bill is usually your active energy consumption. Unlike reactive energy, active energy is directly converted into useful work.
In multi-time tariffs, active energy is priced differently by time of day: daytime, peak (busy evening hours) and night periods have different unit prices. Reducing consumption during peak hours or shifting flexible loads to the night period directly lowers active energy cost.
Active energy is also the reference in the reactive penalty calculation: a penalty applies if inductive reactive consumption exceeds 20% of active energy, or capacitive exceeds 15%. SolarTools breaks down active energy consumption by shift, line and hour to show where savings are possible.
In-depth reading
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