Electricity Saving Plug Ins

[thaimate]

just saw these in the market ,you plug them into the mains and they supposedly save you about 20% on the bill,anyone tried them?

[terrier123]

just saw these in the market ,you plug them into the mains and they supposedly save you about 20% on the bill,anyone tried them?

Did you intend attaching a picture cos I can't see one.

[thaimate]

just saw these in the market ,you plug them into the mains and they supposedly save you about 20% on the bill,anyone tried them?

Did you intend attaching a picture cos I can't see one.

sorry just my way of typing ,no picture ,they are just a small box with a plug that you plug into the mains.

[Tywais]

They're called PFC (power factor correction) and usually consist of nothing more then a capacitor. It is a known hoax/myth for many years now unless your house is just running one very big motor or an industrial facility that bills on VA and not on kWh then it helps very little.

A little on the details > http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/226258-28-what-useful

Lot's of information on various forums and technical sites if you wish to really understand phase angles, power versus VA, etc which are part of the PFC equation.

[G54]

A former g/f had one plugged in. Never made on iota of difference.

What they did do was to meddle with the meter outside after a rather stormy week weather wise. That worked, but the brother was an electrician and fcucked the meter somehow to make it register very little.

[goldfish]

Tune in next week when G54 asks what to do when the meter reader asks why there are holes and knitting needles in his electric meter

[slapout]

Best one I have seen was a small oblong cloth sack to be placed on top of meter to slow the counter down. Sack was full of sand and rock salt. It had a 'money back' guarantee but when you called the man peddling these things he had left town. Since meters are read monthly he probably spent about 3 weeks in each area.

[thaimate]

the reason i asked was that a friend has used his for 2 months and reckons he saved 2k (he does have a buisness that uses a lot of electricity),and have just been told by my son that next door has had one for a long time and they reckon it works.

well one born every minute i just baught one for 1000baht

[mmushr00m]

I asked someone who was selling those things if they really work.

he said "no, thats why I sell in front of hotel, for tourist"

[thaimate]

I asked someone who was selling those things if they really work.

he said "no, thats why I sell in front of hotel, for tourist"

the one i baught was from a friend but instructions are in thai ,they are sold in all the markets in Pattaya ,anyway will try it for a couple of months and see ,two people who have them seem happy.

[Artisi]

Don't waste your money - the savings for a normal household is virtually nothing over a month.

http://powerelectronics.com/power_manageme...nt/705PET23.pdf

[Firefan]

I bought one a couple of years back - don't think it made a difference. Maybe you have better luck with it - maybe it's a "new and improved! - Now with pro-vitamin b5!" - version. Keep us posted! Cheers!

[zaza]

I bought one a couple of years back - don't think it made a difference. Maybe you have better luck with it - maybe it's a "new and improved! - Now with pro-vitamin b5!" - version. Keep us posted! Cheers!

It is very understandable that you wouldn't notice any difference Firefan's consume high voltages.

[jasreeve17]

The missus bought one a few years back, and I was pretty worried about the circuitry, so I always unplugged it when she wasn't looking, especially at night. She kept plugging it back in again. In, out, in out, became a bit of a game with me on the losing side, obviously.

The game ended with a small electrical fire... nobody hurt, but I wouldn't plug one of those things in again, neither will the missus.

[syd barrett]

Here is a way I saved 20% on my electricity bill.

1. Stopped using the ceiling fan and use a floor standing fan.

2. Nothing on Standby, before TV and Hi Fi and Fax were all burning power.

3. Only boil a kettle with as much water as you need (usually 1 mug full).

4. Get all ironing of clothes done at laundry.

Believe me I have seen a 20% drop in my bill.

[G54]

Tune in next week when G54 asks what to do when the meter reader asks why there are holes and knitting needles in his electric meter

Sounds like Voodoo

That meter has been dodgy (fixed) for 2 years or so now and no one has noticed. Last I knew they were laying a feed to the mothers house from it. Hey, they could wire the whole village in and make a mint supplying electricity on the cheap

[chrisyork]

Basic problem with electricity saving devices in Thailand is that electricity prices are so low / subsidised that it isn't worth the effort financially.

In consequence I have limited my action to fitting "Savaplug" devices to all our fridges. Fridges use the motor power fully only on start up and then the motor is heavily overated for the running load. These plugs therefore allow a full wave form at start up and then "chop" the waveform during running. There's something like a 30% saving on elctricity consumption, which is significant for a device which is always "on". However in Thailand there is a much more significant advantage - the fridge produces 30% less waste heat! In our house the improvement in temperature in our living room is most noticeable.

Unfortunately the company responsible is currently redisigning it and it isn't currently available! http://www.savawatt.co.uk/index.htm

Chris

[Crossy]

In consequence I have limited my action to fitting "Savaplug" devices to all our fridges. Fridges use ............... heat! In our house the improvement in temperature in our living room is most noticeable.

Unfortunately the company responsible is currently redisigning it and it isn't currently available! http://www.savawatt.co.uk/index.htm

It is important to note that the electronic control devices produced by Savawatt are NOT the same as the simple PF 'correction' things being marketed here. They DO work, although I find a saving of 30% very difficult to believe.

Edited January 19, 2009 by Crossy

[notobnoxious]

I beg to differ!

On their website they boast 1 million sold and these are PF Correction Devices.

There is alot of rubbish sold on Thai Market stalls but i hear of one company who have invested heavily in producing a Quality alternative.

[Crossy]

I beg to differ!

On their website they boast 1 million sold and these are PF Correction Devices.

There is alot of rubbish sold on Thai Market stalls but i hear of one company who have invested heavily in producing a Quality alternative.

IF they are simple PF modification (I deliberately do not use the word correction) devices, please explain how they save the consumer money as simply adjusting the PF makes a very small (if any) difference to the power measured by a true Watt-hour meter (which most domestic electricity meters are).

You can get as technical as you like, many on this board understand AC theory and phasor diagrams

IF someone can demonstrate mathematically that these devices will save me a significant amount compared with the purchase cost, I'll buy one tomorrow.

And the "one company who have invested heavily in producing a Quality alternative" is?

[Crossy]

If anyone is making 'Nola' PF correction units they really do work, I suspect the 'pass through' correctors work like this

Nola power factor corrector

Frank Nola of NASA proposed a power factor corrector for improving the efficiency of AC induction motors in the mid 1970's. It is based on the premise that induction motors are inefficient at less than full load. This inefficiency correlates with a low power factor. The less than unity power factor is due to magnetizing current required by the stator. This fixed current is a larger proportion of total motor current as motor load is decreased. At light load, the full magnetizing current is not required. It could be reduced by decreasing the applied voltage, improving the power factor and efficiency. The power factor corrector senses power factor, and decreases motor voltage, thus restoring a higher power factor and decreasing losses.

Since single-phase motors are about 2 to 4 times as inefficient as three-phase motors, there is potential energy savings for 1-φ motors. There is no savings for a fully loaded motor since all the stator magnetizing current is required. The voltage cannot be reduced. But there is potential savings from a less than fully loaded motor. A nominal 117 VAC motor is designed to work at as high as 127 VAC, as low as 104 VAC. That means that it is not fully loaded when operated at greater than 104 VAC, for example, a 117 VAC refrigerator. It is safe for the power factor controller to lower the line voltage to 104-110 VAC. The higher the initial line voltage, the greater the potential savings. Of course, if the power company delivers closer to 110 VAC, the motor will operate more efficiently without any add-on device.

Any substantially idle, 25% FLC or less, single phase induction motor is a candidate for a PFC. Though, it needs to operate a large number of hours per year. And the more time it idles, as in a lumber saw, punch press, or conveyor, the greater the possibility of paying for the controller in a few years operation. It should be easier to pay for it by a factor of three as compared to the more efficient 3-φ-motor. The cost of a PFC cannot be recovered for a motor operating only a few hours per day.

Note that fixing the PF with a capacitor will not have the same effect, you need to fix the PF at source by reducing the motor supply voltage and increase its operating efficiency.

Probably the most important bit of the above quote "The cost of a PFC cannot be recovered for a motor operating only a few hours per day."

Edited January 24, 2009 by Crossy

[Crossy]

Another paper on the Nola principle http://www.lmphotonics.com/energy.htm

Only energy that is being wasted, can be saved.