Up to 45%
of an industrial bill is demand charges, which poor correction inflates
Autopilot for your
power factor correction.
Augos measures your PF in real time, combining the data with in-depth reporting, bespoke threshold alerts, automated schedules and AI-assisted insights, to transform it from an invisible fire risk into a real energy asset.
The problem
You have no visibility into your PFC performance, or the tools to manage it.
It's the box in the plant room nobody thinks about, fitted years ago and assumed fine ever since. With no live data on it, you're trusting that it still works, and paying if it doesn't.
01
Run on guesswork
You're trusting it works. A bank that's quietly stopped correcting looks no different to one that's fine.
02
No expert on staff
Capacitor and power-factor know-how is specialist, and there's rarely anyone in-house who owns it.
03
Invisible ROI
You're unable to put a number on what good power factor saves, or what poor power factor costs, so it rarely gets attention.
04
Failure gives no warning
A blown capacitor or fuse just stops. You only find out months later, once the bill has crept up.
The solution
Augos PFC Sentinel,
your 24/7 expert.
PFC Sentinel turns power factor from a blind spot into a managed asset. It measures continuously, puts a number on it, and acts the moment correction slips, with our experts behind it.
01
Live data
Power factor and demand measured every minute, capturing the exact peak that sets your bill. No more annual guesswork.
02
Automated action
Triggers and automated schedules act the moment correction slips, so problems are caught and handled, not discovered on the bill.
03
Team of PFC experts
Specialists who survey, size, repair and maintain your correction: the expertise you don't have to hire.
04
Hands-off convenience
It all runs for you, so power factor stops being a job on your list and becomes something you never think about.
Power factor & demand · 24 months
The cost of every missing kVAr
PF above thresholdPF below, charges riseEach bar is power factor at the monthly peak
Source · PF at peak demand, 30-min resolution · illustrativePenalty climbs as correction degrades below 0.96
How it works
Your steps to power factor automation.
Augos provides a short path to lasting results, removing the need for on-site expertise and power-factor knowledge.
1
Install the meter
Metering at your supply, capturing power factor and demand at 1-minute resolution.
2
Quantify the loss
The platform shows what it's costing you in demand charges, and the correction your site needs.
3
Survey & correct
Our team surveys your site, sizes what you need, and repairs your existing system or installs a new one.
4
Sentinel takes over
PFC Sentinel watches it around the clock, and the moment it slips, it raises the alert and gets it put right.
PF at every peakWhat it's costingkVAr correction sizedFailure alertsSurvey reminders
What you get
What Augos PFC Sentinel delivers.
01Lower demand charges
Correcting power factor cuts your billed kVA, so the demand-charge portion of every bill comes down.
02Quantified opportunity cost
What it's costing you and what you'd save, shown as real numbers, so power factor finally has a value you can act on.
03Lower risk of failure and damage
A failing bank can overheat, damage equipment, even catch fire. Watched and maintained, that risk is no longer yours to carry unknowingly.
04Freed-up electrical capacity
Lower kVA frees headroom on your supply, room to add load or defer a costly upgrade.
05Early detection
A failed capacitor or fuse is caught in days, not discovered on next year's bill.
06Automated PFC management
Monitoring, alerts and maintenance handled for you, so correction keeps working without you chasing it.
Proof
Why managed power factor correction pays.
8–18%
typically cut from the bill once corrected
~20%
of supply capacity freed by correcting power factor
12–24 mo
typical payback on new correction equipment
Source · NERSA tariff structures and power-factor correction studies · figures typical, vary by site and tariff
Real savings, real sites.
A 16-month payback on power factor
Bokomo Savoury Foods · Food production · Johannesburg
A routine data review found apparent demand running well above active power. A turnkey correction system wiped out the reactive-energy charges, and the saving has since grown to around R19,500 a month.
R189k project · 16-month payback
Read the case study
Fire-safe PFC across 500+ stores
Major SA retailer · Retail · 500+ sites
After three fires traced to faulty correction equipment, the retailer switched PFC off estate-wide. Augos surveyed every panel, guided the repairs and fitted fire suppression, restoring safety and efficiency.
Every panel surveyed · OHSA compliance shown
Read the case study
More capacity, no Eskom upgrade
Broiler house · Agri-processing · Free State
The site was running at its Eskom limit with frequent breaker trips, and no more capacity to be had. Correction sized to the load cut maximum demand and freed headroom within the existing supply.
Zero breaker trips after installation
Read the case study
Source · Augos customer case studies · figures as published
Your loss
Calculate your losses.
Set your numbers. At a power factor of 0.8, you're paying for kVA you don't use, month after month.
Monthly electricity billR150,000
R50kR2m
Demand charges (share of bill)R52,500
15%50%
Your power factor now0.80
0.700.99
Lost to poor power factor, a year
R120,900
R10,076 a month · correcting to 0.99
That figure is your exposure. Augos measures it, proves what it's costing, and gives you the path to correct it, then keeps it corrected.
Indicative · demand is billed on kVA, which poor power factor inflates · excludes the separate reactive-energy penalty
What it costs
Simple, transparent pricing.
You need metering to measure power factor and demand. The correction work is scoped to your site, and we can do it or work alongside your contractor.
Metering hardware
Supply points to monitor
1
CTs and installation materials may be required to complete the hardware install.
Nova 3-phase Smart meter
R3,000 ex VAT
Monthly fee
R450/month ex VAT
Optional power factor services
Power factor survey & report
An on-site survey with a written report and data-backed recommendations, whether that's a new system or repairs and upgrades to your existing one. Per panel, LV.
R3,450 ex VAT
New power factor correction
A complete system, sized to the kVAr your site needs, supplied and installed.
POA
Repairs & maintenance
Repairs and upkeep of your power factor correction, scoped to the work needed.
POA
Correction units are quoted on the kVAr required
More than power factor
Part of the Energy Intelligence suite.
Power factor is one of a full suite of reports and tools in the Augos Energy Intelligence platform, all included. Start here; the rest is ready when you need it.
12
energy modules, every one running on the same calibrated meter and tariff engine.
Power factor & demand
The cost and the fix
Tariff comparison
Test a tariff
Bill verification
Estimate vs bill
Cost breakdown
Line-item costs
Cost allocation
Split by cost centre
Time of use
Peak and off-peak
Dashboard
Live KPIs
Technical analysis
Demand and power factor
Consumption breakdown
Where it goes
Charting
Any metric, any point
Triggers & alerts
Threshold alerts
Data download
Raw and AI-ready export
The same platform, across every utility
Electricity
Water
Gas
Fuel
The hardware
The Nova Smart Meter in detail.
For the technically minded. Every figure on this page traces back to the Augos Nova, a billing-accuracy meter, independently calibrated and traceable to national standards.
Class 0.5S
Type-tested to IEC 62053-22
ISO/IEC 17025
Type-approved at an accredited national metrology lab
Batch testing
A random sample independently tested at a SANAS-accredited lab, before deployment
Revenue-grade
The accuracy class required for tariff billing
What it measures
Energy
Active (kWh), reactive (kVArh) and apparent (kVA), four-quadrant.
Demand
Maximum and minimum demand, for notified-demand tracking.
Power factor
Per phase and total, to ±0.5%.
Voltage & current
All three phases, to ±0.2%.
Power quality
2nd to 31st harmonics and total distortion (THD).
Frequency
Measured to ±0.02 Hz.
Connectivity
4G as standard, with Modbus outputs, on a DIN rail. Other versions on request.
Protocols
MODBUS RTU and TCP/IP, and MQTT.
FAQs
Common questions.
We already have power factor correction, why do we need this?
Power factor correction is a degrading asset. A blown fuse, failed capacitor or stuck contactor stops it working, and nothing tells you until your demand charges quietly climb. We monitor it continuously and catch the failure in days.
Is a failing capacitor bank really a fire risk?
It depends on the design and condition. Some older capacitor types carry higher inherent risk; beyond that, heating cycles and ageing contactors can loosen connections, and harmonics can overload cables. Monitoring and regular inspection catch these signs early, before they become a hazard.
Isn't a quick look at the meter enough?
A spot reading is largely meaningless. What drives the cost is your power factor at the half-hour of peak demand, and we measure exactly there, not at a random moment.
Do you supply and install power factor correction, or just monitor it?
Both. We survey, size, supply, install, repair and maintain your power factor correction, or work alongside your own contractor if you prefer.
How do you know when power factor correction has failed?
A trigger fires when power factor drops below the threshold while load is high, so you are alerted before the billing cycle closes, not after.
Does this help with demand charges too?
Yes. Poor power factor inflates billed kVA, so correcting it lowers your demand charges, not just the reactive-energy penalty.
What does the power factor correction work cost?
A survey is R3,450 ex VAT per LV panel. Repairs and new power factor correction are quoted to the work and the kVAr your site needs.
Get started
Automate your power factor correction.
Book a demo and we'll show you how Sentinel measures, quantifies and manages power factor.