ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area The Wonder "Electricity Saving Box"

It would be interesting to find out just what is inside this gizmo (other than snakeoil, that is!):

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Household-Po wer-Saver-Save-Energy-Money-up-to30-15KW.....

Paul, look at the box.

It plainly says it a "Electricity - saving box"

What else do I need to know before I send them my money?

Sentences like this one instill a lot of confidence.

Hope you all had a good new year

My initial thought on this is that it is some type capacitor used to balance phases. Though how this theory works on single phase supplies is unknown to me.

My understanding is that industrial users are billed by the imbalance of phase differences caused by machines running. So some users have banks of capacitors to counter inductive loads and vice verca.

Here's the confusing description on how it works:
"Power Save Device improves the power factor by reducing the amount of electricity that is used from our utility company. This is accomplished by supplying electricity locally at the load by the use of specially designed capacitor. These advanced capacitor store the additional electricity needed for stabilizing electric current within an inductive load."

Reducing the amount of electricity from the utility company by storing it in a capacitor locally..

Now correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't the capacitor charge from the electricity FROM the utility company in the first place? It's not pulling it out of thin air.

Power factor correction
Some literature at the site below http://www.stacoenergy.com/PFC.html

It sounds alot like a UPS with a special capacitor(battery).
Here is a description. It a poor translation. It will keep you appliances from getting fever.
I comes from China.
It even saves you interest.
"Promoting the power factor, can save the fee of adjusting the interest rate of the power supply, for the mobile electricity charges can also attain the significant effect that lower.
"
http://www.bizviet.net/tradeoffer_124164.html
http://www.tmnetmall.com.my/prodCat...696 &ProductType=4090&catgID=120

[This message has been edited by jdevlin (edited 01-01-2007).]

These things are usually a power factor correction device based on the "NASA Circuit", or so it was called in the 70s. They demonstrate it with an unloaded motor and it really seems to work well. When you get a well designed motor up into it's design load range those savings slip away. When Consumer Reports tested these things on a modern refrigerator it actually made it worse.

Aren't these similar to some device they used to market on TV that you could plug your 120V window A/C or refrigerator into and save money??? I can't find a link to that specific one, but I found a couple doozies

I've yet to have anyone approach me about hooking one of these up...


$300!!!
http://www.power-save1200.com/

This one's $200!! http://www.thexpowerenergysaver.com/?gclid=CIqyiub8v4kCFSSVYAodWW5TNQ

(edited for spelling)

[This message has been edited by Lostazhell (edited 01-01-2007).]

I can't believe you guys would actually doubt the claims when it plainly says:

"Awarded with the Excellent Green Environment-friendly Product of China"