Riken Load Control Relay 6/10/16/20Amp

The Load Control Relay (LCR) used as a measure to improve energy efficiency.

How you can help prevent power cuts

Recent events in the Cape have brought the reality of large-scale power cuts into our homes and businesses. And despite the expedited return to service (RTS) initiatives on a number of mothballed power stations, power outages are likely to remain an annoying and costly part of our lives for years to come.

The answer, in the mean time, is to treat electricity as a strategic resource and to apply measures that improve energy efficiency. One such measure: the Load Control Relay (LCR).

The LCR is a load shedding device used to control the shedding of secondary loads such as electrically heated water tanks and under-floor heating or stoves during high demand periods such as early evening, when most families are preparing dinner and switching on electric heaters.

As an example, when a stove (the controlling circuit) is switched on and the current exceeds the rating of the LCR, the supply to the hot water geyser (controlled circuit) will be temporarily interrupted. The LCR rating (amp) should be low enough to ensure the timely interruption of the controlled circuit.

The LCR is compact in size, clips into/onto a DIN rail for convenient mounting and are silent in operation.

The LCR has the following discrete features:

• A bimetal controlled unit, which allows for greater tolerance of switching point and interrupts the controlled circuit at 125% and reconnects at 80% of the controlling circuit rated current.
• Controlled circuit switching capabilities 3 & 5 kilowatt (resistive load) ratings