KWH meters and how you are using them

[Questionator2]

Hello Miners,

How many of you use a KWH meter?

I bought a simple and cheap KWH meter from a local hardware store.
It was only 20,- euro but i'm not sure about it, maybe you get what you pay for?
But is that true?

It reads:

233V
8.95A
1991 to 1994 W

i know that's not right

So i did the magic google search and found a calculator.
233 x 8.95 = 2085.35W

How does that happen?

[2112]

Your power factor is less than optimal, that is less than one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor

[DeathAndTaxes]

2112 got it.  W=V * A only applies to DC circuits for AC circuits you need to account for Power Factor W * PF * V * A.   Your meter may have an option/setting to show the PF as the Wattage display is accounting for it.  The good news is that unless you are a major industrial customer you only pay for watts not VoltAmps so a low PF doesn't directly affect your bill.

[Zich]

What you buy is not KWH, it's more like power meter.

PF 0.95 count as perfect. You don't need to install capacitor bank to reach PF 1.
As DeathAndTaxes said, you don't pay additional cost cause by low PF. So don't worry  

[Glizlack]

I didn't think they charged residential customers or small business that way. Maybe it depends on country.

Steve