Wattasaver

brightspark

I posted about this over in the electrical thread.

http://www.wattasaver.com/index.html


But I think that either way it's a consumer issue. (Either great savings or an expensive surge protector)

gerrycollins

had a demo today looks good. Larger users will have to wait till Jan 10 for a bigger unit to be ready i'm buying when it does.

snappieT

Our system will also automatically remove carbon from the circuit which also encourages a smoother electrical flow.

WHAT?

brightspark

I agree SnappieT, that bit about carbon makes no sense. (which raises my suspicions about the rest)

slimjimmc

Seems to be a power factor correction (PFC) device, so I done a big of diggin'. This is what I found.

PFC devices are commonly used in industrial installations and they can make significant savings especially where motors are involved. However there is a lot of doubt regarding the benefits claimed for domestic installations:

http://energystar.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/energystar.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=4941

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Power Factor Correction Devices claim to reduce residential energy bills and to prolong the productive life cycles of motors and appliances by reducing the reactive power (kVAR) that is needed from the electric utility.

We have not seen any data that proves these types of products for residential use accomplish what they claim. Power factor correction devices improve power quality but do not generally improve energy efficiency (meaning they won't reduce your energy bill). There are several reasons why their energy efficiency claims could be exaggerated. First, residential customers are not charged for KVA-hour usage, but by kilowatt-hour usage. This means that any savings in energy demand will not directly result in lowering a residential user's utility bill.
Second, the only potential for real power savings would occur if the product were only put in the circuit while a reactive load (such as a motor) were running, and taken out of the circuit when the motor is not running. This is impractical, given that there are several motors in a typical home that can come on at any time (refrigerator, air conditioner, HVAC blower, vacuum cleaner, etc.), but the unit itself is intended for permanent, unattended connection near the house breaker panel.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]

For commercial facilities, power factor correction will rarely be cost-effective based on energy savings alone. The bulk of cost savings power factor correction can offer is in the form of avoided utility charges for low power factor. Energy savings are usually below 1% and always below 3% of load, the higher percentage occurring where motors are a large fraction of the overall load of a facility. Energy savings alone do not make an installation cost effective.
[/font]

http://powerelectronics.com/power_management/motor_power_management/power-factor-correction-0507/ (too long to quote)

ESB charges large business customers for wattless power so a PFC device could have real savings for them. However domestic customers are not charged wattless power but pay for active power per KW/h (units). As a result there's no cost saving for domestic users since there's no charge.

Basically, imo, you're buying a device which won't save you energy charges at home.

Hoagy

Alibaba will sell you the circuit design for these units here

"You can use it for homes, offices etc to experience immediate reduction in amperes. This is a working power saver that you can build and sell for huge profits."

Or you can buy them on Ebay for as little as £1.99 here

Unfortunately, they won't save domestic users any money at all. They will reduce the "amperes" (current) but not the wattage (power) The ESB meter measures the power, not the current.

dudara

Thread closed. This is not a Consumer Issue - and it already exists in another forum.

dudara