EnergySaver Plus ?

[Frank P. Newman]

I just received an invitation to attend an "educational" seminar for this product. After looking at the video...
http://www.energysaverrb.com/residential.html
I am beginning to think "smoke and mirrors". Anyone have experience with this ? TIA

[Michael J. Merino]

Home depot used to sell an item similar to this that was used at the plug of an appliance. Do not know if it worked, it was based on the same technology, but it was recalled.

[rdawes]

The idea of correcting the power factor to get it closer to 1 is valid and well understood, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor. Whether or not this particular device does that is another question.

[David A. Andersen]

Nope, no smoke and mirrors!

Did you catch "inductive loads"?

Power factor correction is not anything new, just new to residential application in your area.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by dandersen

Nope, no smoke and mirrors!

Well maybe a few

In the example of the motor mounted on the board you will notice the motor is not doing any "work"

When the motor is under actual load it power factor is much different.

A more honest example would to to load the motor to its max rating. There would be much less need for power factor correction.

And I have know idea what could cause a home to have an uncorrected power factor of 5.9% improving to 95% when the device was turned on.
Maybe someone else can explain how that's possible.

I used to work in large complex with multiple motor control centers and we had capacitor banks to correct power factor to avoid the POCO penalties.

It may have residential applications but probably not as great a cost savings as the video implies.

The only way to know for sure is to measure it.

[David A. Andersen]

It may have residential applications but probably not as cost savings as the video implies.

"Inductive load"...

How much is there in a residence = amount of savings.

And I have know idea what could cause a home to have an uncorrected power factor of 5.9% improving to 95% when the device was turned on.

Someone changed an A/C Compressor and didn't change to the correct capacitor?
I don't know...

This box has components that make up a type of variable capacitor that corrects or keeps the power-voltage sine waves in sinc.

[Frank P. Newman]

The value of power factor correction is well-known in industrial applications where the PoCo contract includes penalties (cost) for low power factor, but unless my understanding is incorrect, a home electrical meter measures only real, not reactive, power. The only real savings would be due to the very small reduction in device and wiring heating that is the result of reactive power. IF, in a hot climate, a home had a LOT of inductive load indoors, I suppose there could be a very small, but measurable reduction in A/C power consumption due to that factor, but it is pretty unlikely.

I expect for demonstration purposes they are using a special meter that does not measure only real power (kwh). I'd like to see them do their demo with a PoCo meter (like the one that determines my bill). The dinner if 'free' so I am definitely going to go and listen, but I am pretty certain that there is not device out there that will let my air conditioner deliver the same performance with 1/2 the work.