Dirty electricity
High-frequency harmonics and transients riding on mains wiring, typically from dimmers, switch-mode supplies and inverters. Not a term used in any exposure standard.
measurement
Last verified 12 August 2026.
- Category
- measurement
Definition
Dirty electricity describes conducted voltage distortion above the power frequency, roughly 2 kHz to 1 MHz. It is measurable as harmonic content at a socket, and building-biology practice grades it more severely than the fundamental. No regulator defines an exposure limit for it, and the widely used proprietary meter index is not an exposure unit, so claims quantified only in those units cannot be compared against any standard.
Sources
- sbm-2024 Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024) — Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN), 2024. ngo, link checked 2026-08-12.
Same record, other formats