Voltage Stabliser

MylesBetter

I am looking to install a voltage stabliser (I think that is what they are called).

This was after seeing the BBC TV show DIY SOS.

It was the hour long special from South Wales where a box was fitted next to the meter to stablise the voltage into the house at 220v. That saving was said to be about 30% per annum.

Did anyone see the programme and know what the box was called and where can I purchase one.

How much should I pay to get it fitted?

laurence_2

It is most likely a con.

moonrakerz

If you put a magnet on your water pipes they will dispense Chardonnay.
A similar magnet on your car will make it as comfortable as a Rolls.
If you paint the roof of your house with special paint it will cool the planet and you will soon have Polar Bears in you fish pond.

What a load of rubbish !

Premier_2

MylesBetter wrote: »

...How much should I pay to get it fitted?

Too much!
Well actually I understand the fitting cahrge to be quite reasonable (probably about an hour of an electricians time), but the cost of the device is high.

I think you are talking about the voltage optimization (reduction) unit from a company called VPhase.

It lowers the mains voltage to 220V from the usual 240v and so claims about 8-9% saving.

I'm not so sure. You see if they are simply reducing the energy consumed then the proucts won't work so well. e.g. lights will be dimmer, oven will be cooler, etc, unless of course you turn the oven up higher or install larger bulbs, so using more electricity.

Anyway, even at the declared 8-9% savings, the supplier claims it will be a 15 year payback in a typical domestic property. Usually any payback in excess of 3 years is not economically viable, and in the current economic climate, many people will not pursue projects that don't have a backback period of less than 12 months.

Cardew

If reducing our voltage to 220 volts saved 30%, why wouldn't the Government order the supply companies to reduce our mains to 220v or 200v etc.

Either you have misunderstood the programme - or they don't understand a Law that Georg Ohm published in 1827 and still applies!

If you reduce voltage, then you will use less power(Watts) for some items like lights and heaters - but you will have less light and less heat!!

Most appliances will work on voltages way below the nominal 240v in UK, most European mains voltage is a nominal 220v.

penrhyn

The unit installed on DIY SOS was a V-Phase, information here.
http://www.iesenergysaving.co.uk/technology_vphase.html

In fairness to the manufacturer they state that any appliance using a thermostat will not give any savings, and in fact should not be included in the installation.

espresso

It's not a con but there is no way that you could save 30% by regulating domestic mains voltage down to 220V.

UK mains voltage can vary between 216V - 253V and it does fluctuate at different times of the day due to the supply and demand on the grid. Obviously if your mains voltage is say nominally 225V you are going to save much less compared to if it is nominally 245V.

Various companies have adopted this technology to reduce their bills e.g Tesco have achieved savings averaging 9.9% across 458 stores, however they use much bigger Powerperfector units, which can handle their much higher commercial loads. Their annual savings were worth £8.2m in 2009, so customer voltage regulation can work.

Domestic units like the VPhase mentioned in that TV program, can only regulate loads of 2kW and anything higher is simply bypassed. Your saving would therefore depend on what electrical appliances you actually use e.g. heating (immersion heaters, storage heaters, showers, ovens, saunas etc.) would not achieve any saving using customer voltage regulation.

The domestic VPahse unit costs £250+VAT plus the cost of fitting fitting by a qualified electrician. A new consumer unit may also be required and/or rewiring so that certain circuits are not supplied by the VPhase unit.

So the real question is how long before you would actually start saving any money after installation? The unit is only guaranteed for one year.

penrhyn wrote: »

In fairness to the manufacturer they state that any appliance using a thermostat will not give any savings, and in fact should not be included in the installation.

Not true, not all thermostatically controlled devices.

Fridges, freezers and other devices with electric motors e.g. heating pumps actually achieve the highest savings from voltage regulation.

No heating device will save, as they will simply produce proportionately less heat from the lower regulated voltage.

penrhyn

I stand corrected.

keystone

Duplicate thread by OP HERE.

Cheers