Power factor is a measure of how effectively electrical power is being used. It is defined as the ratio of real power (the power that actually performs work, measured in watts) to apparent power (the total power supplied to the circuit, measured in volt-amperes).
The power flowing through an alternating current (AC) load isn’t always pulling its full weight. Every AC circuit has some degree of non-working power as part of its total power reading and this can affect the amount of power a system is truly drawing.