enfield951 Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Friends tell of a stall on a local market that sells a plug- in device which claims to reduce your electricity bills. Has anyone on the Forum any knowledge or experience of such a device and does it work ,how effective is it, and is it legal ?? Keep the A/C's Burning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telaksslave Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Friends tell of a stall on a local market that sells a plug- in device which claims to reduce your electricity bills.Has anyone on the Forum any knowledge or experience of such a device and does it work ,how effective is it, and is it legal ?? Keep the A/C's Burning. ive been told that, if its true tell me where, its a bug to me that electricity is double the price compared to the UK and please, i dont want some blithering idiot telling me if you dont like go back to the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forkinhades Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 it dosnt work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 This has been covered in more depth recently (DIY forum?) - the issue of Power Factor correction is not unknown to the makers of air-con units and are built-in in the factory. The plug in units promoted on Pattaya radio stations are 'designed' to be used with lamps and small domestic electrical items - I doubt that the power rating of these units is sufficient to be used with anything more power hungry than a 100 watt light bulb. The langauge used in the radio advert would appear to be a mixture of myth and magic: "...the current's not static like it is back home..." ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndK Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 The langauge used in the radio advert would appear to be a mixture of myth and magic: "...the current's not static like it is back home..." ?? lol.... Not sure I ever heard or saw an ad that wasn't myth and/or magic....and usually that is all they are. But if that device works and has measurable results, please come back here and post the results. I buy a box full or a pallet...not sure how big that device is. I become a distributor and buy stocks in the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forkinhades Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 The langauge used in the radio advert would appear to be a mixture of myth and magic: "...the current's not static like it is back home..." ?? That advert had me laughing the first time I heard it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaifan2 Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 >>its a bug to me that electricity is double the price compared to the UK << Can that be true .My electric bill is far lower here than back in Ireland ,even with A/C ,but with only one room .( a studio Condo ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eefoo Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 I bought one of these gizmos a while back from a market stall. They had a set up with a power supply coming through a standard household electricity meter going to a bulb. The meter ran noticeably slower with the gizmo plugged in. I couldn't see any obvious trick so I bought one. Never got round to doing any kind of comparison tests at home though. I kept the leaflets that came with it as I was hoping to try and translate them into English!! Here they are; if they aren't useful they are at least a laugh. I can't help thinking that if it was such a sure-fire way of saving loads of money on electric bills then they would be a lot more well known and the promotional blurb would be written in something more approaching an understandable language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raro Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 (edited) I hope their engineering skills are better than their English skills... /edited because of my English skills..... Edited June 21, 2008 by raro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticpig Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 (edited) Dont leave Tv, Stereo, stuff like that on standby. Turn the air con up a notch. it might save a few baht, but not much. Take the wife’s, Karaoke machine outside and smash it up, that will save a fortune. on electric Edited June 21, 2008 by plasticpig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Years ago, my father worked for the electric company in a rural area. A farmer was complaining about his light bill and my dad told him jokingly to put a bag of salt on the meter as it would make it turn more slowly. The next month when they went to read the meters, everyone for a radius of about 50 miles had a bag of salt on their meter! As Barnum once said, 'there's one born every minute.' I guess he was right. I don't think there is much you can do, but turn off appliances! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryofthailand Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 A friend of mine bought one of these gizmos and let me use it to see of ot reduced the electric bill. Well one day it strted smoking and almost cought on fire. No savings on the electric bill. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfield951 Posted June 21, 2008 Author Share Posted June 21, 2008 A friend of mine bought one of these gizmos and let me use it to see of ot reduced the electric bill. Well one day it strted smoking and almost cought on fire. No savings on the electric bill.Barry Thanks for all your comments folks ! Certainly made up my mind , as usual in life nothing is as easy as it is made to sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennyW Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 The radio advert says "you just plug it in and wait for your next electric bill to arrive" obviously sounds far too good to be true, if you look at the website they are promoting the product on - it would appear that you need one of these gizmos for every appliance you have in your home, no mention of that on their ad!!! Forget it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 i can speak with some experience on these boxes although i am not concerned in their current promotion i was looking at them some years ago as a potential business they do actually work but not for everyone nor for every electrical system it seems to be the simpler the electrical installation the better the effect they are not just a Thai thing, in fact the Thai one is probably the worst manufactured ones i have seen in terms of inspiring confidence as to wether it might work or not. there are around 25 different models from a number of different international manufacturers of this device and the technology is based on principles originating from a German university i have done a lot of research on this matter and the best units by far are the ones made in Malaysia. they are universally available, i have the addresses of number of global websites that sell them. the Malaysian manufacturers have done the most extensive research on the matter too they contracted a MY University to check them out and the results showing the savings are published by the manufacturer. the boxes over here are available in various sizes and prices to cover various applications the size and cost of the box is not related to the savings achieved its purely the amount of power consumption the application needs apartment, small house, big house, office etc its not like the bigger the box you use, the higher the savings it will be the same wether you spend 7000 on a box or 1000 on a box they do not work as single unit on 3 phase systems, you need 3 boxes and an electician to establish which phase is which so you can plug each one into the right socket the best and simplest results seem to be achieved in apartments and small houses. like the ones demonstrated on local markets hence the smaller and cheaper boxes seem to be ok you need to have an estimate of power usage though before you fit one so you know the right one to buy. the smallest (standard) 15000w one seems to cover most folks requirements i had a number of them installed by a sparky around the house, as i have 3 phase and they did reduce the bill when i was first testing them. now they are considered the norm and i never check them with or without but the bills are about the same since installation allowing for price increases so i assume they are still working and i am not taking them off to find out. i bought a lot of the 15000w small most commonly used version and sent them to my pals in USA & UK. they all reported some savings and refused to give them back! (they did not pay for thm either to those reading this! LOL) anyway the real difficulty in marketing these things is the same reason that you have posted on here. people are doubtful as to wether they work or not. they are a truly boring product and its not easy to get people enthused about them. the guy who markets them on the radio is much more determined in his efforts than i ever was the internet is a full of scams and on the face of it, this just looks like another one. theres lots of conflicting info about the units just as there is on this forum, which if you use as a snapshot of public opinion you can see how difficult it is to market this product so after some months of banging my head against a wall, i gave up and left it to the experts. anyone wants one of these power savers cheap i have 13 new units that i will sell at half the price asked on the local markets its been so long i forget how much they were so if anyone wants one you will have to remind me of the current price pm if you want one or any advise that i have not covered here i hope that helps anyone who is interested (you really have too much time on your hands) doubting thomas's please fire away, you will only be wasting your own time i have already wasted thousands of hours trying to convince people, a few more will not matter.......... . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Friends tell of a stall on a local market that sells a plug- in device which claims to reduce your electricity bills.Has anyone on the Forum any knowledge or experience of such a device and does it work ,how effective is it, and is it legal ?? Keep the A/C's Burning. ive been told that, if its true tell me where, its a bug to me that electricity is double the price compared to the UK and please, i dont want some blithering idiot telling me if you dont like go back to the UK <deleted>. At 0.05p per unit (3.25 Baht) my electric bill here is cheaper than the standing charge in UK before useage of units! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raro Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 There was a German guy in Pattaya a while ago who sold a gizmo called "Power Boss". He demonstrated it with an electrical saw and it was quite impressive. Once the saw ran idle, the electronics in the box would limit the current to a minimum. As soon as more power was required, the gates were opened and the maximum current the saw would need was let through. So this is something for electrical items that have power consuming idle times. it is NOT for your stereo, computer or other electronical items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Dont leave Tv, Stereo, stuff like that on standby. Turn the air con up a notch. it might save a few baht, but not much. Take the wife’s, Karaoke machine outside and smash it up, that will save a fortune. on electric & try educating the Wife/GF to keep the doors and widows closed if the AirCon is on... BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raro Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 & try educating the Wife/GF to keep the doors and widows closed if the AirCon is on... How else can you adjust the temperature? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swain Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Dont leave Tv, Stereo, stuff like that on standby. Turn the air con up a notch. it might save a few baht, but not much. Take the wife’s, Karaoke machine outside and smash it up, that will save a fortune. on electric & try educating the Wife/GF to keep the doors and widows closed if the AirCon is on... BB DEAD ON.... My wife and mother in law have the air con blasting and the door open... when I complain the turn off the air con and sit in the heat... trying to comply but doing it a way that says you shouldnt have said anything. I want them to use the air just use it with out wasting the power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telaksslave Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Friends tell of a stall on a local market that sells a plug- in device which claims to reduce your electricity bills.Has anyone on the Forum any knowledge or experience of such a device and does it work ,how effective is it, and is it legal ?? Keep the A/C's Burning. ive been told that, if its true tell me where, its a bug to me that electricity is double the price compared to the UK and please, i dont want some blithering idiot telling me if you dont like go back to the UK <deleted>. At 0.05p per unit (3.25 Baht) my electric bill here is cheaper than the standing charge in UK before useage of units! actually i didn't asked what kept your ears apart. but perhaps there isn't a lot of difference in the unit charge, it is what the cost of running air con is and any farang who tells me they prefer to live without air con it is normally because they cant afford to run it or they are super kinyaws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 How else can you adjust the temperature? Turn the heating up?Aircon is ok - but if you can cope with some heat why choose Thailand - we often kill the aircon as it's too cold at night and just sleep with a fan on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
begsaresponse Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 How else can you adjust the temperature? Turn the heating up?Aircon is ok - but if you can cope with some heat why choose Thailand - we often kill the aircon as it's too cold at night and just sleep with a fan on. Same same us. Often have it on for 10 - 15 mins then switch off and have fan only. Cannot believe that electricity is more expensive here than UK? But I suppose if you have all air con on all the time that will do it everytime. The other thing is the meter is faulty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryofthailand Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 How else can you adjust the temperature? Turn the heating up?Aircon is ok - but if you can cope with some heat why choose Thailand - we often kill the aircon as it's too cold at night and just sleep with a fan on. Same same us. Often have it on for 10 - 15 mins then switch off and have fan only. Cannot believe that electricity is more expensive here than UK? But I suppose if you have all air con on all the time that will do it everytime. The other thing is the meter is faulty? In the afternoon if I am home I swich on the air and have it on 28. Very comfortable. At night in the bedroom on 26. Total cost 1000-1800 baht per month depending on the outside temp. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 How else can you adjust the temperature? Turn the heating up?Aircon is ok - but if you can cope with some heat why choose Thailand - we often kill the aircon as it's too cold at night and just sleep with a fan on. Same same us. Often have it on for 10 - 15 mins then switch off and have fan only. Cannot believe that electricity is more expensive here than UK? But I suppose if you have all air con on all the time that will do it everytime. The other thing is the meter is faulty? if you suspect the meter is faulty the electricity company will come around and add another new one that runs in tandem with yours for a 24 hours period it costs 500 baht for them to do it. after 24 hours they come back and compare the results from each meter to see if they are the same or not if you are correct about it being faulty they will change your meter and refund the 500 baht. if you are wrong you have to eat the 500 baht and a big piece of humble pie....... just go to the main office in Banglamung to have the test conducted if you are suspicious of your meter i found them very helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Osborne Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) I rarely use the air-con except in the hot season to cool the bedroom down for a couple of hours. I even disagree with my mrs because I don't like the fan above no.1 when we sleep, just enough to keep the air circulating. During the day if you have 2 doors open for airflow there is little need for A/C, a small fan is more than a sufficiant It never ceases to amaze me why people need to feel so cold and then go back to europe and complain about the cold. I was working in Russia couple years ago, spent a lot of time in the office. In the summer they had the A/C 's fans up so it was uncomfortably cold, then in the winter they had the heaters up full blast where you had to strip to your shirt.. makes a lot of sense Edited June 24, 2008 by William Osborne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 How else can you adjust the temperature? Turn the heating up?Aircon is ok - but if you can cope with some heat why choose Thailand - we often kill the aircon as it's too cold at night and just sleep with a fan on. Same same us. Often have it on for 10 - 15 mins then switch off and have fan only. Cannot believe that electricity is more expensive here than UK? But I suppose if you have all air con on all the time that will do it everytime. The other thing is the meter is faulty? It's not. It's much cheaper here per unit AND there's no quarterly standing charge. People that complain it's more expensive must use the aircon 24 hours a day and never go outside the house but forget that back in UK they don't have electric heating in the winter and therefore don't consider the cost of their gas bills when making a comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eefoo Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Why all this talk about airconditioner usage when debating telaksslave's original assertion that electricity is double the price of UK. How much you use is totally irrelevant in this argument - the price per unit is what is important. Using more will simply put your bill up, and could make it several times a bill in UK without taking into account the amount of electricity bought for that price. Does anyone have any actual figures for electricity prices per unit in UK, as opposed to 'my bill is/was' sort of tales. Then perhaps we can figure out whether telaksslave's initial statement was right or wrong before he back-pedalled with this quote:- " but perhaps there isn't a lot of difference in the unit charge, it is what the cost of running air con is and any farang who tells me they prefer to live without air con it is normally because they cant afford to run it or they are super kinyaws " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 It's a long time since the unit cost was 0.05p (3.25 Baht) per unit in the UK (60 years?) but it's not just the UNIT COST but also the extra QUARTERLY STANDING CHARGE (40 quid last time I get a leccy bill in UK 5 years ago) that makes it so expensive in UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 (edited) From the nPower website it's between 13.600p and 21.600p (excluding 17%VAT) per unit for the first 728kWh per year and then between 11.410p and 14.190p (excluding 17%VAT) per unit thereafter depending on your Payment Plan unless you use the electric at night when it can be as 'cheap' as 4.420p (excluding 17%VAT) per unit. So even at the cheapest unit cost of 4.420p the leccy in Thailand is only 1.13% (excluding 17%VAT) of the cost of leccy in UK and 0.23% (excluding 17%VAT) of the 'standard' unit cost in UK. Edit: EXCLUDING the Quarterly Charge. (although some companies are eliminating this rip off pratice for SOME of their customers) Edited June 26, 2008 by PattayaParent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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