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1feralengineer t1_j2rnsfk wrote

Reply to comment by StoneTemplePilates in How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

>What am I missing?

Power factor.

VA only equals watts in a purely resistive circuit (PF=1). In an AC circuit if the current sine wave leads the voltage sine wave (capacitive load), or the current sine wave follows the voltage sine wave (inductive load) the apparent power (VA) is higher than the actual power (W). PF=W/VA

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StoneTemplePilates t1_j2s3det wrote

I'm gonna need to do some googlage to understand this, but thanks for the explanation!

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