Classification and relevance for electrical professionals

Power quality monitoring in buildings, commercial and industrial installations is no longer a niche topic. Modern loads and distributed energy sources increasingly influence voltage quality. Frequency converters, LED lighting, IT loads, UPS systems, charging infrastructure and photovoltaic inverters are sensitive to voltage deviations, unbalance or distortion and can also be sources of such effects.

For electrical professionals, problems often appear indirectly. Equipment may fail sporadically, control systems generate unexplained faults, protective devices trip without a clear reason or disturbances occur repeatedly at certain times. This is where mobile measurements show their strength. The PQ-Box ONE enables fast, application-oriented data acquisition at selected points without the need for permanent monitoring via a fixed installation.

Electrical contractors: measurement for acceptance testing and troubleshooting

Typical issues without targeted measurement

During commissioning, extensions or modifications, disturbances often only occur under real operating conditions. Without measurement data, it remains unclear whether the cause lies in the installation, individual loads or the supply. This leads to time-consuming site visits, trial-and-error approaches and discussions about responsibilities.

Application scenarios and problem solving with the PQ-Box ONE

The PQ-Box ONE is frequently used when an objective snapshot of the electrical condition is required. Typical situations include the installation of new loads, recurring fault messages or plausibility checks of suspicious voltage conditions. Time-based measurement makes patterns visible. Events may coincide with specific load changes, switching operations or operating schedules. Repeated voltage dips or increased distortion under certain conditions can be clearly identified.

Added value for customers through the use of the PQ-Box ONE

Customers receive comprehensible measurement results instead of assumptions. This improves decision-making, such as whether action is required and which measure should be prioritised. Unnecessary modifications are avoided and follow-up costs are reduced. For contractors, the documented handover creates a technically sound basis that helps to clarify later complaints objectively.

Maintenance managers: addressing causes instead of symptoms

Typical problems without measurement data

In maintenance, faults are often addressed by treating symptoms. Components are replaced, controls are reset or temporary rewiring is performed. If the actual cause is related to the power supply or load behaviour, the problems reoccur. Undetected power quality issues can also lead to long-term stress and premature ageing of equipment.

Application scenarios and solutions with the PQ-Box ONE

The PQ-Box ONE is well suited for event-driven diagnostics when disturbances occur sporadically or after operational changes such as new machines, modified shift patterns or additional charging points. Measurements at relevant points allow maintenance teams to correlate events with operational conditions. This supports targeted corrective measures instead of general component replacement.

Added value for operation and availability

Measurement data support a prioritised maintenance strategy. Critical issues can be distinguished from secondary effects. Unplanned downtime is reduced and measures can be scheduled more effectively. Internal coordination improves because technical decisions are based on data rather than assumptions.

Building services engineers: simplifying documentation and communication

Typical challenges in building operation

Building services engineers often mediate between users, operators and service providers. Disturbances are reported but cannot be reproduced during short inspections. At the same time, technical statements must be understandable and technically sound.

Application scenarios and solutions with the PQ-Box ONE

The PQ-Box ONE supports measurements at typical building points such as office workplaces, selected sub-distributions or areas with sensitive IT equipment. The aim is not permanent monitoring but clear verification. Is there an actual supply issue, when does it occur and how often? This structured evidence helps to manage discussions with tenants or users and to justify measures to operators.

Which devices are suitable for buildings?

Added value for operators and service provider coordination

Documented measurement results allow services to be clearly specified and verified. Building services gain transparency on whether changes are required within the internal network, the user installation or in coordination with the grid operator.

Master electrician businesses: measurement services as a structured extension of services

Typical challenges in daily work

Master electrician businesses are often called when “something is wrong with the voltage”. Without measurement, the service scope is difficult to define. The effort, result and documentation remain unclear.

Application scenarios and solutions with the PQ-Box ONE

The PQ-Box ONE enables a clearly defined measurement service. Measurement points are selected, measurement periods defined, data evaluated and results documented. This creates structure in troubleshooting and makes services transparent for customers. Typical triggers include recurring disturbances, complaints about flickering light, issues after modifications or evaluation of specific areas.

Added value for customers and for the business

Customers receive a comprehensible measurement report as a basis for decisions. The business benefits from clear processes and technically sound documentation, reducing follow-up visits and facilitating cooperation with other trades or grid operators.

Electrical planners: as-built data for realistic design

Typical issues without baseline measurements

Planning in existing installations often relies on assumptions regarding load profiles, voltage stability and reserves. With modern, dynamic loads, these assumptions are frequently inaccurate and lead to excessive safety margins or misinterpretations.

Application scenarios and benefits of the PQ-Box ONE

The PQ-Box ONE allows targeted measurement campaigns to capture real conditions at relevant points. This supports planning of extensions, modernisations or integration of new loads because decisions are based on measured data rather than estimates.

Functions, characteristics and technical classification

The PQ-Box ONE is designed for mobile, event-driven power quality monitoring. The focus is on fast diagnostics and transparent documentation at practical measurement points such as socket circuits, selected feeders or areas with sensitive electronics. This makes it particularly suitable for troubleshooting, acceptance testing after modifications and clarification of recurring disturbances.

A key technical aspect is time-based recording. Instead of only snapshot values, trends and events over a defined period are captured. Load-dependent voltage fluctuations, recurring dips or short-term anomalies become visible, which are often missed during spot checks. Electrical contractors gain a robust technical basis for customer communication, while maintenance and building services teams can prioritise measures more effectively.

For technical reference, EN 50160 provides a framework for voltage characteristics in public networks, while the IEC 61000 series defines measurement methodology and comparability. In practice, measurement point, duration, relevant parameters and frequency of events should be clearly documented to derive concrete technical actions.

Practical procedure with the PQ-Box ONE

1. Measurement
   The PQ-Box ONE is used as a mobile measurement solution at a carefully selected point, typically where symptoms occur or where assessment is required. The measurement period is chosen to cover relevant operating conditions so that time-dependent effects become visible.
2. Evaluation
   The evaluation is carried out using WinPQ mobil software or the PQ-Box App for mobile measuring devices. Voltage trends, events and - depending on the measurement task - distortion components and other key parameters are displayed. The crucial point is the time correlation: when does an anomaly occur, and which operating conditions coincide with it?
3. Result
   Results are technically assessed and, where appropriate, compared against reference criteria such as EN 50160. From this, targeted actions are derived. These may include organisational load shifting, adjustments in the installation, further detailed measurements at other points or technical measures such as filtering or mitigation concepts. For standards-based comparison and permanent monitoring at main points, stationary systems are often the appropriate complement.

Procedure in daily work

In practice, power quality monitoring follows a clearly structured process. First, the measurement point is defined, for example a distribution board, a machine feeder or a building area with noticeable behaviour.

After installing the measuring device, recording takes place over an application-specific period. Electrical contractors often use multi-day measurements to cover typical operating cycles. Maintenance managers use measurements to assess trends or changes over time.

Evaluation then focuses on limit exceedances, recurring patterns and temporal correlations. From this, concrete recommendations for action can be derived, such as network adjustments, load redistribution or further technical measures.

Results, benefits and KPI effects in practice

The main benefit of the PQ-Box ONE lies in reducing diagnostic time while increasing the quality of conclusions. Instead of “no fault found”, concrete findings are produced. These include time of occurrence, frequency, affected area and a plausible direction of cause, whether load-related, installation-related or supply-related. Customers benefit from better decisions and lower costs due to targeted measures.

For operators and facility managers, transparency is improved. Disturbances become documentable, measures justifiable and service provider performance verifiable. For planners, a realistic data basis is created that makes design and modernisation more reliable.

FAQ