Electrical – Three 1 phases vs one 3 phase power cost

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Case1:

If I have three single phase connections with each having its own single phase energy meters And I connect 1kw load on each of these phase continuosly 24/7 for a month.

Case2:

Now next month instead of three single phase connections I opt for a single three phase connection with a 3 phase energy meter and I connect the same single phase loads (1kw) on each of the 3 phases 24/7 for a month.

At the end of the month will by electricity bill in Case 2 be lower than that of Case 1 and why?

P.S. This is not a homework question, I'm trying to understand 3 phase power vs 1 phase power.

Edit:

So single phase loads don't seem to have an advantage in a 3 phase power supply system.

Now how about a single phase 2kW motor running 24/7 on a single phase supply for a month and then the next month i use a 2kw 3phase motor and run it 24/7 on a three phase supply. In this case surely the 3phase system will have an advantage of lower consumption (lower electricity bill). Isn't it?

Best Answer

The bills will normally be the same - unless the 3 phase connection is charged on an industrial tariff while the single phase is a domestic tariff. That's a matter for negotiation with the supplier.

But consider the cost of installing the supplies.

Each single phase supply requires two wires from the substation to your house. That's potentially a total of 6 wires, whereas the 3 phase supply only requires 3 (in Delta).

So in practice those three single phase supplies will be the three phases of a 3-phase supply to save copper. (Normally, with a fourth Neutral to handle any imbalance between them)