It seems to me that all devices would draw less current if the voltage is reduced. The only constant here would be the circuit impedance would it not?
Lets say a motor draws 15 amps @ 240 volts for a total of 3600 watts. For the sake of simplicity, the circuit impedance would be 16 ohms. A 3% drop in voltage gives us 232.8 volts. 232.8V รท 16 ohms = 14.55 amps, for a total of 3387 watts.
I'm guessing that the only trade-offs will be in horsepower and to a lesser extent, lifespan of the motor.
Matt
[This message has been edited by Matt M (edited 07-02-2001).]
