Automatic Voltage Regulators and Power Conditioners

The automatic voltage regulator (AVR) is a device designed to regulate voltage automatically – that is, to take a fluctuating voltage level and turn it into a constant voltage level. There are many types of automatic voltage regulators.

l Surge suppression

l Harmonic filtering, etc.

Power conditioners are typically used in low voltage (< 600V) applications and sizes below 2,000 kVA. See Power Quality versus Line Drop Compensation.

Since there is no official definition of a power conditioner, there are some devices marketed as power conditioners that do not provide automatic voltage regulation. This fact and the wide variation in capability between products make it imperative the buyer does his or her homework to match product functionality and application needs.