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What are single phase and three phase connections and how to cho
Bijli Bachao Team

July 29, 2015

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Hindi Translation:




b

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A few days back a friend asked: My society is going for t


will it have on my bills and also what is the benefit of using
else that a regular upper middle class family would have
everything was working fine. So the doubt about going fo
him to continue with his single-phase connection and we

3.EducationDegrees
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5.AffordableHousing

What are single phase and three


phase connections?

Most of us know that in the world of electricity,


current through the wires carry electricity that light
ads
our bulbs and run our appliances. The type of
current that is supplied from electricity grid is
Alternating Current (or AC). In a single-phase supply, a single alternating current in supplied through a
6.FindABusiness

single wire, whereas in a three-phase system 3 wires carry alternating current with a definite time offset
in between the voltage waves.
In India a single-phase supply is a 230V supply through two wires and 3-phase supply is 415 V supply
through 4 wires and in the house the line can be divided to give 230V at individual point. The basic
difference between the two is that a three-phase connection can handle heavy load while a singlephase cannot.

To give an analogy to help you understand the difference, lets take an example of a highway. If the
highway is a single lane highway, only a few two wheelers may go on it in parallel, or if we try to squeeze, we
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things will not move, whereas if we have a 3-lane highway, lot of vehicles can move together in parallel. Even

run together also depends on the size of vehicles. A car and a two-wheeler may easily go in parallel on a si
alone.

Similarly consider single-phase as a single lane highway and three-phase as a multilane highway. There is
typically that number is set to 7.5 kW (or 7500 watts or 10 Horse Power). So if sum of wattage of all the applian

then you need a three-phase connection. And you can get to 7.5 kW if you have three 1.5 ton ACs and a water
has a motor that is more than 10 HP. If the load is less than 7.5 kW, then a single-phase connection can easily h

Note: A lot of people have misconception that Air Conditioners require three-phase connection. Which actua
run on single-phase. Only if you have more than 3 ACs that are all in use together you may need a three-phase

But I have a three-phase connection and my electricity distribution compa

After reading the above explanation, a few people may thi


has my distribution company assigned me a three-phase c

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North America, as a rule three-phase connections are mea

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residential connections are always assigned single-phase


distribution companies that if the residential connected lo

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connection to that house. And typically connected load is

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the appliances in your house will run together. So if you h


run them together, a three-phase connection will be assig

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together, it will have potential to bring down the electricit

6.FindABusiness

Are there any benefits of three phase c


ads

The benefit that a three-phase connection provides is tha

different phases. So for example if there are three Air Conditioners, then each can be setup on each of the ph

case one of the phases fails due to a fault at the distribution point, the other two phases keep running and th
house, if you have three rooms connected to each phase, then even if one phase fails from the electricity
electricity, but the other two will continue running.

What are the extra charges associated with a three-phase connection

Typically it is observed that if the connected load in a house is more than 5-7 kW, electricity distribution com

know more about connected load check this link: Impact of Connected Load on Fixed Charges in Electricity

charges associated with a three-phase connection. First and foremost, as the connected load provided to the
connection may increase. Also three phase meters are different from single-phase meters, so the meter need
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meter rent, whereas in others, there is an upfront charge for the meter. So the change of meter will cause eit
meter rent on your bills.

Some people believe that to change to three-phase connection, they need to change the wiring in the hou
wiring can handle the three-phase connection and there is no need to spend on changing the wires.

Note: A change in connection from single-phase to three-phase will not increase energy charges on your e

consume will remain the same (because they depend on the wattage of your appliances and not on the electri

Conclusion

Typically a residential connection should not require a three-phase connection, as most appliances that are u

if there are a lot of heavy appliances in a house, then utilities might suggest going for a three-phase connectio
one certainly needs to evaluate if that is really required.

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Jointhediscussion

RajaSahoo amonthago

Sir,

Iamplanningtotakea3phaseconnectionsoon.TheElecticguysfromthestateelectricboardcameand
connection.Couldyourpleaseconfirmaboutdoubleearthingissueaswealreadyhaveanearthinginstal

Reply Share

SANJAYKUMAR 2monthsago

ITSPOSSIBLETOCONNECTVOLTAGEFACEWITHAMPEREFACEANDHOW

Reply Share

SANJAYKUMAR 2monthsago

HOWWECANCONNECTAMPEREFACETOVOLTAGEFACE

Reply Share

AbhinandanAdmuthe 2monthsago

Ihave3Phase10KWconnectioninmylab.Loadisnotuniformlydistributed.Ononephaseloadishigh
consumption?HowdoIreduceelectricityconsumption?SomepeopleadvisedmetouseCondensers.I

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >AbhinandanAdmuthe

2monthsago

Numberofphasesinaconnectionorloaddistributionwillnothaveeffectonelectricityconsumpt
thenandmovetoefficientonestoreduceyourelectricityconsumption.
Alsodoyoumeancapacitororcondenser?

Reply Share

AbhinandanAdmuthe>AbhishekJain 2monthsago

sorryCapacitor?

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >AbhinandanAdmuthe

2monthsago

Capacitorbankwillnothelpinanyelectricitybillreductionforaresidentialconnec
onkVAhwillacapacitorbankhelp.

Reply Share

Pradeep 4monthsago

Ihaveahousewith6portionswith4threebedroomflatsand2singlebedroomflats.Iappliedfor4thre
oneextrasinglephaseconnectionforcommonarea.ElectricitypeoplearesayingthatIneedtoinstalla
Note:Atmostonlyin2flatswewillhave1.5tonACs(oneforeachflat).Incommonarea,thereare1thr
householditemswouldbeasthatoftypicalmiddleclassfamilies.

Reply Share

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Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >Pradeep

4monthsago

HiPradeep,

Inseveralstatesiftheconnections(multipleofthem)areneededinsamepremise(orsamepiec
distributioncompaniesaskthecustomertoputaseparatedistributiontransformer.Buttherulev
Bythewayeach1.5tonACisabout1.5kWand3HPmotoris2.25KWand2HPis1.5kW.

Youwillhavetochecktheruleandthetotalloadthatisexpectedinthehousestoseeifyoureally
1

Reply Share

Pradeep>AbhishekJain 3monthsago

Thanksforthereply.Muchappreciated:)

Reply Share

Ago 4monthsago

canasinglephaseelectronicmeterinstalltoa3phaseload?andisitthesamebyusinga3phaseelec

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >Ago

4monthsago

Youshouldalwaysusea3phasemeterfora3phaseconnection.Donotgoforasinglephasem

Reply Share

Rohan 4monthsago

HelloIneedsomehelpregardingthis.Wehavea3phasesysteminourhouse.Butforlast2yearswe
askingforarecoveryamountwhichIfeelisgrosslyovercharged.ThedifferenceInoticedbetweenthe3
for3is130andfor1is40.).AmImissingoutonanyothercalculation?Wouldbeverygratefulifyouare
concernedofficialonMonday.Thanksalot!

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >Rohan

4monthsago

HiRohan,

Chargesvaryfromstatetostate,butaphasechangeonlyimpactfixedcharges&meterrent.Itd
whichdependonamountofelectricityused).Butifyouhada3phaseconnectionandyouwereb
distributioncompanyshouldhavefixedintheirbillingearlier.Youshouldraiseacomplaintwithth
Andiftheyarenotabletosolveit,thenyoushouldgotoelectricityombudsmanatyourstate'sele

Reply Share

Rohan>AbhishekJain 4monthsago

Thankyousomuchfortheimmediatereply.Alsoyourwebsiteisgreat..helpedmetocle

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Rohan>Rohan 4monthsago

Alsoconnectedandapprovedloadforbothbillsis9.00KW

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >Rohan

4monthsago

9KWisnotconsideredassinglephaseinanystate.Thebillshouldhaveconsidereditas

Reply Share

Tushar 5monthsago

Wehaveasinglephaseconnectioninwhichthetwowiresareonthefirstandthirdwireofthehightens
isnotasingleappliancethatworkswhileweruna.cexceptinverter.Shouldwechangeourphase?Whi
problem?Plzreply

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >Tushar

5monthsago

IdeallyjustanACshouldnotcausesinglephasetotrip,sotheremustbeavoltageprobleminyo
withahigherconnectedload.

Reply Share

Sohail 5monthsago

Hi,

Thanksforputtingthisup.Youmentionthelimitforsinglephaseconsumptionas7.5kW.Whatisthislim
accordingtostate,couldyoumentionsometypicalvalues?Thankyou.

Reply Share

santoshkumar 5monthsago

sir,whatisthedifferencebetweensinglephaseandthreephase?

Reply Share

AbhishekJain

Mod >santoshkumar

5monthsago

sir,ihopeyouhavereadthewholewriteupontop.Itexplainsthedifference.

Reply Share

M.SakthivelRajan 5monthsago

NowiambuildaG+1homewith2b+1Hwith2bathroomsandkitchensoweplantofixtwoac1.5tonan
fansndnormallylights,shalligoforsinglephaseorthreephase.
Pleasetosuggestme.
by,
SakthivelTamilnadu,Madurai

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AbhishekJain

Mod >M.SakthivelRajan

5monthsago

HelloMrRajan,
Lookingatyourlistofappliances,a3phaseconnectionwouldbebetter.TwoACs+1.5Hppum

Reply Share

Anniejoseph 6monthsago

Whyistheelectricitytrippingcontinuously(every1minute)sincethelast4hours,anditisaffectingONL
connectionisnottripping.AsaresultIhaveswitchedourhomeinvertertoAWAYmode,buteventhiske

Reply Share

Rajeev 6monthsago

veryclearviewssir,iwillgetbackonfurtherqueries

Reply Share

parveen 6monthsago

Threefacemeaursinglefacemechargeskyahaijaiseki7kilowatkasinglefacememinimumcharges
MATLABminimumbillkitnaayegaDonomitreme

Reply Share

Tushar>parveen 5monthsago

Checkyourelectricitybill.Itismentionedasfixedcharges.

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>parveen 6monthsago

Itvariesfromstatetostateandalsodependsonconnectedload.

Reply Share

DyCME(M) 6monthsago

ifamachineisspecifiedasof3phase,doesitmeanthatmachineshouldutilizeall3phasesatatimeto

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>DyCME(M) 6monthsago

Thatisright.Ifamachineisspecifiedas3phasethenitneedshighpowertorunandforthatitne

Reply Share

oops 6monthsago

ihaveaquestion....whatwillhappenificonnect1100wattrated110vapplianceto220v5ampratedso

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>oops 6monthsago

Itwillgetburnt.Wouldsuggestyoutolookatoperatingvoltageoftheappliance(manyTVscano
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getanadapterthatconverts220Vto110V.

Reply Share

Abhishek 6monthsago

Ihaveasinglephase3kvadomesticconnectionappliancesinclude2ac,1geyser,1submersiblesetb
efficientlyasthevoltageisquitelow.Someonesuggestedtogofor5kva3phaseconnection.Willitsolv

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>Abhishek 6monthsago

Bythewayareotherpeoplelivinginyourareaalsohavingvoltageproblems?Ifyesthenitwould
finethengoingfor3phaseshouldsolveyourproblem.

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>Abhishek 6monthsago

Foralltheappliancesthatyouhave,goingfora3phaseconnectionwouldbebetter.

Reply Share

DrAKSINHA 6monthsago

Theelectricalloadofmyhomeisabout5kWplus(ResidentofJharkhand).Soplanningfora3phasecon
separetelyserialwise.

1.Whattypeofwiringshouldbeusedfortheconnectionfromtheelectricalpoletotheelectricmeter?(dis
RRKabel/Havels(b)6sqmmHavels(c)3phasealuminiumwires.Ifucanmentionaboutthecostfacto
2.Whatistheonetimecostofa3phasedigitalelectricmeter?
3.Iamplanningtosetupaclinicinthegroundfloor(occupying23rooms)inthenearfuture.Butitwould
takingacommercialconnectionmandatoryorresidential3phaseconnectionwouldsuffice.
4.Theneutralinmylocalityisnotverystrongandowingtovariousotherreasonsthevoltageisnotveryg
constantfluctuation).ThismakessmoothfunctioningofAC1.5Tonextremelydifficultasthestabilizerke
suggestmeawayout.Moreovertheelectrictransformerfromweretheneutralcomesisveryfaroff(1km
fromthetransformer,assuggestedbyfew)
5.Oneoftheserviceengrsuggestedmetotakea2phasevoltagestabizerwhichwouldeliminatethene
ACs.Willsuchathingworkoutpractically.Youradviceonthisaspect.
Pleasereplyontheabovequeriespointwise.

Reply Share

Shubham 7monthsago

Hellosir...Imconfusedwiththetotalloadofsinglephaseconnection...hereyouhavementionedthatth
andwecanuse3acof1.5ton.ButsirIhaveonlyoneacconnectionof1.5tonandhavinggeneralhome
fan,Kentpurifier,waterpump,insinglephaseconnection.Butmyelectricityserviceprovidertoldmetoc
connectionandincreasethetotalloadfrom4kvto.10kv.Otherwisetheywil.fileacase.SowhatwillId
this.Even,Idon'tknowthattotalloadassignedforsinglephaseconnectionisdifferentindifferentstateo

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BijliBachaoTeam>Shubham 7monthsago

HiShubham,

Yourloaddoesnotlooklike10KW.1.5tonACwouldbeabout1.8kW.Fridgewouldbeanother
WaterPump(assuming1HP)wouldbe0.75kW.Soallinall,itwouldbeabout5kWorso(assu
case).Idonotseeareasontochangeto10kW.

Reply Share

Shubham>BijliBachaoTeam 7monthsago

Thankyousirforanswering...ButsirIhaveonemoredoubt..
Iwanttoknowwhetherthetotalloadsofsinglephaseis7.5foreachstateorloadmayva
assignedinsinglephaseforjharkhandstate..

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>Shubham 6monthsago

Itisdifferentineverystate.InJharkhandloadexceeding4kWisgiven3phase.

Reply Share

AchintyaParadkar 7monthsago

Wellexplainedsir!!!Thanksforsuchasimplifiedarticle,thiswasallIneeded!

AlthoughIhavesomefollowupquestions:
1)Howdoweknowwhetherathreepinswitchinmywallisasinglephaseorphreephase?
2)Arethereanyhouseholdappliancesthatrequire415Vsupply?Ifyes,willitrequirethreephasesupply
3)Ihavea16Aswitchinmyrooms,whatdoesthatmean?
4)IsthereanydangerifIconnectasinglephaseequipmenttoathreephasesupplyorviceversa?
Thanksalotforyourhelp!

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>AchintyaParadkar 7monthsago

HiAchintya,
Hereismyresponse:

a)A3phaseconnectionisdividedinto3differentphaseswhenconnectedinahouse.Soeachp
threephases).Loadhastobedividedequallyinahousetoall3phases.

b)Allappliancesworkonlyonsinglephase.Threephaseisimportantonlywheneithertotalload
supply.Inresidentialconnectionthereisnoappliancethatneeds3phase.

c)16Ampswitchmeansthatitisaswitchthatcancarryupto16Ampcurrenteasily.Beyondtha
d)Athomeeachplugpointwillonlygetsinglephase.Sothereshouldbenodanger.

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AchintyaParadkar>BijliBachaoTeam 7monthsago

Thankyousomuchforanswering!Helpedalot!

Reply Share

SANJEEVPATIL 7monthsago

WEHAVETHREEPHASECONNECTIONIFWECONNECTSINGLEPHASELOADTO3PHASEENE
COMPARETOSINGLEPHASEENERGYMETER

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>SANJEEVPATIL 7monthsago

Therearetwocomponentstoelectricitybill:1)Energycharges2)Fixedcharges.Theenergycha
applianceswhichdoesnotdependonsinglephaseorthreephase.FixedChargesdependonthe
phaseconnectionsascomparedtosinglephaseconnections.Butthenagainifyourelectricitydi
withacertainload,theywillchargeforitcompletelyirrespectiveofthenumberofphasesthatyou

Reply Share

BalkalGhosh 7monthsago

Ihavesinglephaseconnectioninmyappartmentbutmyneighbourrecentlychangedthemselfintothree
hisACwehaveavoltagedrop.Why?plzexplain.

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>BalkalGhosh 7monthsago

Thepossiblereasonisthatwhilechangingsingletothreephaseatyourneighborhouse,ACofy
house.Normallywhenloadisdistributedinaarea,thephaseofyourneighborwasdifferentand
increasedresultinginhighvoltagedrop.Youmayaskyourneighbortochangethephaseatanyl
solved.

Reply Share

Bhavin 7monthsago

Sirihavea3phaseconnectionatmyplaceandinmyareathereisregularpowercut,stateboardelectr
powerinphaseinwhichtubelightandfanareconnectedwhatcanidosothaticangetpowerfromothe

Reply Share

BijliBachaoTeam>Bhavin 7monthsago

HiBhavin,

Althoughwehavenotseenanypracticalapplicationofitourselvesbutthereissomethingcalled
marketthatclaimstodothis.Youcanlookatthislink:http://www.boparai.in/Products........howe

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