It may not have been 15 years ago, but computers are rather significant power users.
Modern PCs are gaining in processing power as well as electrical consumption. It isn't unusual for today's high performance PCs to draw
250-300W of power in its idle state and 400-500W with the CPU and video card fully loaded.Computer power supplies with a power output in the neighborhood of half a kilowatt is not uncommon and most are rated for a minimum of 300W output. The average computer power supply is very high in THD and has a power factor of 0.6 to 0.7 and an efficiency rating of around 75%. With
300W power consumption, each computer represents 430-500VA of highly harmonic load.I'm guessing a university and such would have around 1,000 computers through their campus labs which would create around 400 to 500kVA of low power factor load that power factor correction capacitors can not touch.
Computers in homes don't produce as much of concentrated high harmonic loads, but rectified input draw is quite a significant part of load on the power distribution facilities.
There is already a power factor regulation for fluorescent lights and as a result, many electronic types of ballast have a power factor rating as high as 0.95-0.99.