What is Power Factor?

Power factor is the ratio of Real Power (W) to Apparent Power (VA) in an AC circuit. Power Factor corresponds to the phase-angle difference between the load drawn voltage and current waveforms.

Power factor is shown as a decimal number or percentage i.e. 0.65pF = 65% between 0-1pF and 0-100% respectively.

Power Factor formulae include:

Power Factor (pF) = Real Power (W) ÷ Apparent Power (VA) = CosØ

If we know the Power Factor and Real Power we can calculate:
Apparent Power (VA) = Real Power (W) ÷ Power Factor (pF)

If we know the Apparent Power and Power Factor we can calculate:
Real Power (W) = Apparent Power (VA) x Power Factor (pF)