Comparison of Typical Electrical Loads in Houses with Respect to Harmonic Distortion

Abstract

Nowadays, electronic devices and/or devices incorporating electronics are becoming more and more common in houses. This could imply an increased presence of non-linear loads that inject harmonic currents and, among other problems, end up having an impact on power quality and energy efficiency. In this work, the behaviour of various common residential electrical loads in everyday situations was analysed and compared. Harmonic spectrum measurements were performed using a three-phase Power Quality Analyser MI 2192 considering IEC 61000-3-2 and IEEE 519-2014 standards. The results show that there are significant differences between the measured loads: air conditioners and refrigerators (including those with inverter technology), desktop computers (directly connected or via a voltage stabilizer), a notebook (used under different forms of battery charging) and ceiling fan speed controllers (including electronic).