[oil pan 4]

They don't charge your specifically for Voltamps.
The voltamps just spin your electromechanical meter faster and they bill you for the "KWHs". That way they can say they don't charge for low power factor.

None of that even attempts to explain the situation of why small arc welder that uses 150 watts of real power and 500 VA of apparent power spun the meter almost twice as fast as a 200w light bulb.
If power meters didn't read KVAs and only picked up real power then the light would spin the meter faster than the welding machine.

I am sticking with what my own tests proved. Those links are precisely what I was talking about they assure you that you don't pay for low power factor and again no one is actually testing it.
Ever hear of trust but verify?

Why do you think its so difficult to connect the power factor capacitor so that it turns on and off with the motor or inductor?
All you have to do is wire it on the load side of the motor controlling switch. Its simple.
If you don't know what you are doing when trying to preform power factor correction, the worse that could happen is your die from electrocution and burn down your house. The best that could happen is you save several amps when running your equipment.

Those power factor correction devices sold over the internet or at lowes and the way they are employed are garbage.
I do my power factor correction with box of various motor run capacitors, fluke325 amp clamp, kill-a-watt meter, some trial and error and each device is individually power factor corrected.

Here is one for you. If the power meter doesn't detect excess apparent power consumption then how is the "wasted" reactive power from an unneeded capacitor some novice connected to their breaker panel detected?
So we are expected to believe the power meter can detect leading power factor and you get billed for it but some how it does not read excess lagging power....
That right there is all you need to know.