power factor reducer/power saver plug - do they work?

nicjrdn

Does anyone know if these things are any good and are they legal? Someone told me about them and apparently they can reduce your electricity bills by up to 30%. I found one for £15 on an eco site (http://www.windtrap.co.uk/Energy-Saving-Products/Power-Factor-Reducer.htm) and if they do what they say why are they not more publicised?

Cardew

They are complete rubbish! and will save you nothing/zero/zilch

Only on the internet can they get away with such adverts

It will take far too long to go into electrical theory of power factor. However in essence an incorrect power factor can mean drawing more power(volt/amps) than Watts.

However in domestic properties your electricity meter only measures in Watts(kWh) and that is all you are charged for -kWhs. So your power factor doesn't matter.

In large industrial premises power factor is important, but believe me it takes more than a £15 device plugged into a socket to monitor and correct Power Factor.

This scams come up all the time on MSE and other forums. As you say even if it saved anything, all the companies and Goverment would be promoting them.

fatlad1971

Cardew wrote: »

They are complete rubbish! and will save you nothing/zero/zilch

Only on the internet can they get away with such adverts

It will take far too long to go into electrical theory of power factor. However in essence an incorrect power factor can mean drawing more power(volt/amps) than Watts.

However in domestic properties your electricity meter only measures in Watts(kWh) and that is all you are charged for -kWhs. So your power factor doesn't matter.

In large industrial premises power factor is important, but believe me it takes more than a £15 device plugged into a socket to monitor and correct Power Factor.

This scams come up all the time on MSE and other forums. As you say even if it saved anything, all the companies and Goverment would be promoting them.

There is no such thing as power factor in electricity metering domestic or industrial
Maximum demand and HH sites have Kva charges , power factor does not exist

loulou41

I have got one of those plug, the engineer on one of his visit asked me to buy one which he provided and said it will save me electricity on the fridge/freezer.

Cardew

fatlad1971 wrote: »

There is no such thing as power factor in electricity metering domestic or industrial
Maximum demand and HH sites have Kva charges , power factor does not exist

Who said there was? I specifically stated that domestic meters measure watts.

Listen! before you start playing the UIA expert again, I am a Chartered Electrical engineer and do have some knowledge of Power Factor.

I don't know what you mean by "power factor doesn't exist".

Are you stating that power factor is not a cost consideration in industrial electrical supply? Do you know anything about Power Factor Correction in Industrial premises?

OP - my original remarks are correct - these devices save you nothing.

Cardew

loulou41 wrote: »

I have got one of those plug, the engineer on one of his visit asked me to buy one which he provided and said it will save me electricity on the fridge/freezer.

I am sorry to say they won't save you anything.

To be fair to the man who came to look at the fridge, he might have been acting in good faith.

Without going into the subject, if you have a 40 or 50 year old fridge then you could get devices that save very small amounts of electricity. However that doesn't apply to fridges/freezers now.

In fact most manufactures specifically warn you not to use the device you have - if it is the device I am assuming you have. I would ring them and ask.

If you want a little more information read this:

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/powerfactor.html

If you want to check if it saves electricity(or uses more) why not get one of those £6 power meters from Aldi and run it for a longish period of time with and then without the device. - try to keep the usage the same(opening doors etc) Bear in mind that much of the time the compressor will not be running so a long period is required.

Graham1

Two threads where these devices were debunked before:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=286112

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=426115

fatlad1971

Cardew wrote: »

Who said there was? I specifically stated that domestic meters measure watts.

Listen! before you start playing the UIA expert again, I am a Chartered Electrical engineer and do have some knowledge of Power Factor.

I don't know what you mean by "power factor doesn't exist".

Are you stating that power factor is not a cost consideration in industrial electrical supply? Do you know anything about Power Factor Correction in Industrial premises?

OP - my original remarks are correct - these devices save you nothing.

I know about line loss factor but Power Factor Correction is not a concept that is used in measuring or metering electricity consumption
hope that helps

toby11

Does this 'Savaplug' fall into the same category, or is it a genuine energy saving device?

http://www.windtrap.co.uk/Electricity_Monitors/SavaPlug.htm

Cardew

fatlad1971 wrote: »

I know about line loss factor but Power Factor Correction is not a concept that is used in measuring or metering electricity consumption
hope that helps

It only helps in the sense it demonstrates you are completely out of your depth and puts your posts on MSE in context.

For a supposed expert who makes his living from advising on industrial electrical supply, your knowledge is sadly lacking - and you even had the temerity to tell me that I didn't know what I was talikng about.

Unless the Power factor is corrected the electrical supply costs to industrial premise are drastically increased, thats why companies spend a great deal of time and effort on correction.

Read this idiots guide and you will be able to impress fellow members of the UIA.

http://www.powerfactorcorrection.co.uk/whatis.php

Incisor

fatlad1971 wrote: »

There is no such thing as power factor in electricity metering domestic or industrial
Maximum demand and HH sites have Kva charges , power factor does not exist

Just capturing your words.