How can reactive energy charges be best corrected?

Reactive energy charges are associated with the use of inductive loads, which can cause the power factor of a system to become less efficient. This inefficiency leads to higher electricity costs due to the additional reactive power that is not effectively used for productive work. To address this issue, using capacitors is a widely accepted method for power factor correction.

Adding capacitors to an electrical system helps to offset the inductive effects of motors and transformers, thereby improving the power factor. This results in more efficient use of electricity, reduces reactive energy charges, and can even lead to lower utility bills. By performing a power factor (PF) correction analysis, utilities or energy managers can determine the optimal size and placement of capacitors needed for effective correction.

The other methods listed do not provide a direct solution to managing reactive energy charges effectively. For instance, adding more equipment may exacerbate the problem rather than correct it, replacing power lines is typically unrelated to reactive power management, and simply increasing energy usage does not address the inefficiency caused by low power factor conditions. Therefore, utilizing capacitors along with a thorough power factor correction analysis stands out as the best approach to correct reactive energy charges.