Load studies
Power quality and load studies
We record voltage, current, harmonics and demand under real operating conditions, so you know what your system can take before you add EV chargers, equipment or a tenant, and what happens when breakers trip. Halifax and Calgary offices, serving sites across Canada.
What a study tells you
How your electrical system actually behaves
Power quality and load studies record voltage, current, harmonics, power factor and peak demand over time, under real operating conditions. The data can show overloaded feeders, the conditions around nuisance trips, harmonic distortion from drives and IT loads, and the capacity available for expansion.
- Peak demand and load profile recording
- Voltage sags, swells, transients and imbalance
- Harmonic distortion (THD) analysis
- Power factor and capacity verification
What you receive
A record your engineer or utility can use
- A recorded load profile for every monitored point
- A THD and voltage-event log with time stamps
- A summary of peak demand and the capacity available on the monitored service or feeder
- Recommendations, including any further testing the data points to
When a study helps
Three common reasons to record before you decide
Adding load
EV chargers, new equipment, a new tenant or a service upgrade. Recorded demand shows the real peak and the headroom your engineer has to work with.
Nuisance trips and faults
Breakers or drives tripping without an obvious cause, flickering lights or electronics failing early. The recording shows what the voltage and current were doing when it happened.
Harmonics, power factor and imbalance
Drives, UPS systems, LED and IT loads can distort the supply and heat neutrals and transformers. A power-factor charge on the utility bill points here too.
How it works
Three steps, usually without a shutdown
- 01
Install the recorders
Recorders are connected at the agreed monitoring points, normally while everything stays energized.
- 02
Record a full cycle
For the period agreed with you, covering every shift, weekend and start-up, so peaks are real peaks.
- 03
Read the results
We walk you through the profile, the events and the capacity number, and what to do about them.
What we agree before installing
- The question the study has to answer, and who will use the results: your engineer, electrician or utility
- The monitoring points: the service entrance, particular feeders or particular equipment
- The recording period, long enough to cover your normal operating cycle, or the period your engineer or utility asks for
- Access to connect and later remove the recorders, and a safe connection point for each; any connection that needs an outage is planned in advance
Helpful to send with your enquiry
- A single-line diagram or panel schedule, if you have one
- Recent utility bills showing demand or power-factor charges
- Dates and times of trips or equipment faults
- The ratings of any load you plan to add
Power quality and load study questions
How long do you record?
Long enough to capture your normal operating cycle, agreed before installation. If your engineer or utility needs a particular period or recording interval, tell us and we record to it.
Does monitoring need a shutdown?
Usually not: the recorders connect while equipment stays energized. If a safe connection point needs an outage, we plan it with you in advance.
Will a study tell us why our breaker trips?
It records voltage, current and events around the trip, which often narrows down the cause. Some causes, such as a faulty breaker or a protection setting, need electrical testing to confirm.
What does a study cost?
It depends on the number of monitoring points, the recording period, travel and the reporting you need. Send the question you need answered and a short description of your service, and we reply with a quote within one business day.
Adding load, or seeing nuisance trips?
Recording under real operating conditions shows what your system actually does. Get a quote or call the office nearest you.