Electricity Power Savers : Do they work ?

Electricity Power Saver

Thats the question on everyone’s minds these days. The Indian market is flooded with various brands of electricity savers. Some claim to be made by IIT Graduates, others are Chinese imports. Anyway as someone asked me, do these power savers work , i am an engineering student and have done a successful course in power apparatus 😛 , therefore i can answer this question.

If you want to learn how to tamper your digital electricity meter provided by BSES or NDPL, this is not the place ! These devices have nothing to do with meter tampering.

Power Savers are what you call Synchronous condensers. Most motor loads in our house are Inductive loads, like pumps, fans, mixers etc. Even Air Conditioners and Refrigerators are inductive loads. The power factor of Inductive loads is lagging and synchronous condensers supply a reactive power factor and help nullify the effect.

So we see in theory synchronous condensers do save power, but how much depends on the kind of load you have. These condensers wont work with resistive loads such as heaters, geysers, irons, bulbs etc. So if you live in a cold place, don’t expect lots of savings.

Also important is the product you buy, many of the products might be cheap duplicates with LEDs and nothing else, so its better to test the power saver you have bought than assume its saving power. You can ask your electrician to test the power using a wattmeter before and after switching on your power saver device.

Also if you find that the saver is not saving you enough power, don’t be hesitant to invoke the money back guarantee clauses and return the power saver.

Disclaimer : All advice above is on a as-is basis and we don’t offer any sort of guarantee on our advice, use your brain before making a purchase.

49 thoughts to “Electricity Power Savers : Do they work ?”

  1. Well i am on the lookout for a wattmeter to measure the power consumed with and without the power saver. I will ask an electrician for it

  2. 1. What is a Synchronous Condenser? Is it a Sync Motor? If it is a static unit, in what manner is it different from a condenser?
    2. After browsing, one learnt that the savers range from Rs. 300 to 1600 and even more. None of the manufacturers are known ones? One local distributor stated that his product costs more because it has a Twister and a Power Strip? He was unwilling to share much details. Can you, Sir, explain about he Twister/Power Strip?
    3.Can u recommend any particular model. (I live in Delhi)

    Thanx

  3. I am not an expert at this, but still this is what my opinion is , i might be a little off but i guess this is broad sense :

    Sync condensers are capacitor based devices which provide a leading power factor nullifying lagging power factor of inductive loads. A synchronous motor in theory does save power by nullifying the pf of lagging loads. As you said condensers are static devices and infact a sync motor not driving a load is a synchronous condenser.

    They also nullify spikes as they use capacitors and hence improve running of appliances.

    Normal condensers or static capacitors provide a static reactance unlike sync condensers (Not sure). I have not heard of Twister and Power Strip , the shopkeeper might be fooling you. Power strip is in no way related to power saving as far as i know.

    We do not endorse any particular brand, but do in for one where you get a money back guarantee and also the product has been certified by an Indian Govt. Lab, don’t buy from a local store as the shopkeeper might not refund the money. Try and go for products which don’t come in Chinese packing and are sold by Indian firms.

  4. Energy meter register active power, which is product of volt x ampere x power factor. So improving power factor(bringing it near 1) means more power. In actual case the power factor is arround 0.8 and is inductive due to fans, motors, ACs etc. So meter will register less power and hence less energy. So if anybody claims to reduce power by improving power factor, he is making fool of you.

  5. hi.

    I can understand that a better power factor can reduce costs, but do these devices improve the power factor? I thought all electrical apliances were fitted with power factor correction devices…florecent lights have big caps to counter the big coil…moters are usually fitted with capacitors….etc.

  6. @Brian – I dont think all appliances, motors etc. have capacitors. If you have a digital meter, you can see it also. Just see your power factor before switch on the Ac and after switching it on.

  7. some of the power saver works i m using one of then and get 30% reduction in my electricity bill.

  8. saw one of those savers on ebay.co.in my ques is when power saver itself consumes power then how can it save power?

  9. can these power savers save electricity from appliances such as ,

    1. Fluorescent light bulbs
    2. LCD Television, or typical television
    3. Computers / Laptops
    4.Handphone chargers / Lithium Battery Chargers
    5. Rice cookers

    thanks your help is very much appreciated 🙂

  10. Any device which has a wound coil is inductive. Thus all motors, chokes, transromers, reactors, electromagnets, etc are inductive devices and cause lagging power factor of less than 1. This causes a slightly larger current drain which is of the order of 15 – 20%. The power factor correction device by using capacitive devices depending upon its size improves the power factor. The aim is to bring it as close to 1 as possible. In fact it is almost impossible to bring it to the ideal figure of 1.

    If you have bulbs, geyzers, and other heatning devices only, there is no need to worry about.

  11. hi,

    kw= voltage x amp. x p.f.

    by droping voltage u can save electricity , the place i came from here there is 250 voltage is comman. by reducing it to 220 u can save at least 13 to 18 % energy try this……….

  12. @Pratik – nope, that wont work since you will reduce the voltage at your end, the power drawn will be same.

  13. so you might be seen the power saver of “OREVA” i am using it and i install just 1weak ago and people said that it is branded power saver ???
    What is it if you know that plz give me a reply

    Thanking you

  14. @Harpal – Oreva seems to be by ajanta, so should be genuine. Try and get a wattmeter and see consumption with and without the power saver.

  15. I have gone thru all the 20 comments find them very genuine queries. Some one came & demonstrated the reduction of electrical consumption thru a 2′ floroscent tube by measuring the current drawn with and without the power saver device. The current did come down by about 30% with power saver.But the question is whether the POWER CONSUMPTION has come down? Very doubtful! here is why i have doubt: When U operate any gadget, particularly those with inductive loads such as motor driven ones, the current drawn by the motor has two components, viz. reactive (90 degree out of phase with voltage) and the in-phase component.The electric meter in ur house records power consumption based on in-phase componet of current x voltage.The so called power savers are basically capacitive loads which when plugged in cancel out the reactive component of the current there by showing reduction in current but they do not in any way reduce the in-phase component of the current which, as i mentioned earlier, is the power component responsible for power recording in your electric meter.The reduction in reactive component of current does, have effect on transmission power ( I X R )loss in wiring after the meter. This has very little effect in house holds as the internal wiring length after the meter is not very much. So it is evident that power savers are nothing but gimics just to fool people and make money. I suggest to all to check the reduction in POWER by measuring the power by a wattmeter to prove efficacy of the power saver & NOT BY REDUCTION IN CURRENT. I would like some one selling power savers to respond to my comments

  16. @Mr.Kanwal – Electricity meters record total power and not just in-phase power.

  17. dear all,

    read all the post on d site along with few other, but can’t figure out whether power saver in works in ahmedabad where power fluctuations are not there most homes have digital meters, we don’t see any power cuts. under these conditions is it good to buy or not. should it be installed before meter or after.
    can transformers reduce electric bills. can multimeter do the job wattmeter.
    pl. guide.{:).

  18. What Mr.G S Kanwal wrote is EXACTLY CORRECT. With these so called power savers, it is not the user who is getting benefited ,but the utility supplier and manufacturers / dealers of it! So buy it only if you want to “save” them through your wallet.

  19. Hi Friends

    I have really worst experience with the power Saver ( CALL MAX) , its not worth to buy . I have one more view that if such device will work , do not you feel that Government will impose it ? Second there is no big brand involve in it ? Like CFL many big companies are working ike philips &wipro. So its sheer nonsense to buy such device and though they gave u money back guarantee but they wont give easily

    Regards
    Ashish

  20. If this product is so lucrative,what they claim the reduction in electriciy bill is 30%,then there are many and most reliable manufacturers of elect.appliances,they would have already plunged into this business.But after going thru all comments,it is still not clear whether power saver is really does some work on energy saving and savings on your bill,if somebody can say.

  21. Hi all,
    I have also purchased one. I have practically seen the my total load before the installation of power saver was nearly 12 Amperes but after installation of power saver it was only 9 amperes. This proves that it saves electricity by stablizing it.
    Thanks
    Anil

  22. Dear,

    Electric meter at my house measured only the active power (kwh). If you power saver improve power factor, reduce the current I (amp), but Kwh will remain the same. If I remember: P = U * I * cos fi. Or I must to change the contract with the electric company and ask that we incorporate the meter that measures and reactive power? What should I do?.
    When I install the power saver, does the electric meter (which measures active power, kwh) to show less accounts?

  23. I jave been reading about power saver for 2 years. After lot of thought i purchased one and installed. I cat say if it works or not. I do read meter every day. but change in wheather makes it difficult to judge. It seems my fridge which use to consume about 5units in 24 hrs is using about 3.5 to 4 units now.
    I could be wrong. I will be able to compare my average monthly consumtion with previous year in few monts time. Then only I will be able to confirm its usefullness.

  24. yesterday i got A Rmp power saver which is certified by Mysore sales international limited,,(govt of Karnataka undertaking) & has been named as single phase Pf corrector ,power pack super energy saver CE RoHS .The tests and approval is given by Department of information & technology STQC ,,directorate electronic test & development center (pune). I am yet to test it.Though i am very much looking forward to conduct it with the help of electrician who has to visit me in few days for domestic appliances repair

    1.
    .Can i know the correct procedure of doing the same? if it requires equipments other than normally available things in a electricians kit ,could u please tell me a rough calculation method that could allow me to practically check the savings (indicative if not precise).

    2.
    The manual suggests that it could be plugged into any sockets or line of prolonging..where as people suggest that it must be installed along the meter as close as possible .Can u please guide if i can plug it anywhere in house? Will the electrical authorities object if they find it ? or if i need to fix it near meter…

    3.
    can i conduct following to get a rough idea?
    switch off all the electrical appliances and run the electric dryer for half an hour. and check the meter usage or check the load with a tong tester ..later i can plug the saver and repeat the same..will the process be ok ? also pl Note; i read in one of ur reply that heating appliances don’t reflect savings) in tat case which wud be the best appliance for conducting the test,,i have washing machines, mixers,tv refrigerators,oven n all …but don’t own Air conditioner yet .

  25. Dear Saurabh,
    1. No you need just standard electrician’s kit incl screwdrivers, wire strippers, insulation tapes etc.
    2. Technically best is next to meter, but it will work else as well.
    3. Yes you can do that, any appliances involving motors or chokes is a candidate.

    Do not doubt, these do work.

  26. theoretically it can’t work and as claimed it can’t give any reduction but unles on ths practically it is tried using wattmeter we cannot say anything. i am planning a few tests on the device in a couple of days. Then we shall know where the matter stands. I will report my results on this site also.

  27. hi WiseTechie
    i would like to thnx …..to u…for ur value able & correct knowledge which deliver to us by u……….
    thnx again WiseTechie…..
    all the best….
    keep it up….

  28. Guys,
    All these nonsense can stop with simple test. Pull out the main fuse, fuse has two prongs and with fuse placed in, it completes the circuit so without the fuse all the electricity stop from flowing in the house, now connect an amp meter, set to AC ampere and it will show you how much current is flowing. Next connect these gedget and turn it on and see if the total ampere is reduced by 25% to 40% as they claim and you know it.

    Thanks

  29. Here is a simple explanation for non-technical people. While switch on inductive loads (like motors and other coil based devices) the line voltage drops heavily. So, to maintain the required output power, these devices using more current (ie. flow of electricity). When connecting a capacitor (or this power saver), the rate of voltage drop reduces to a great extend. When the voltage is more, the devices requires less current to maintain the same output power.
    The electric power consumption is calculating by multiplying the current and voltage. Before using the power saver, the voltage was low and current was high. After using the power saver, the voltage is high and current is low. So the power consumption is almost same in both cases.
    However you can expect more efficiency from your equipments while using with this power saver. That is also an advantage.

  30. can you tell me which brand to buy and whats the difference between powersaver and power stabilizer if there is?

  31. Most non-technical persons are being fooled by the so called power saver that apparently reduces the total current drawn by inductive loads such as electric fans, refrigerators and airconditioners and the power saver. Under a given connected load and supply voltage, the current drawn by the load is still the same with or without the so called power saver. However,the total current drawn both by the load and the power saver is reduced because of the effect of the device in off-setting the reactive current component of the inductive load as power saver of this kind is usually a capacitive load. The active power drawn or the kwh (energy) being consumed by the inductive load is still the same. The reduced current will only reduce losses on the line feeding power to the load but this is normally very small to have a noticeable reduction on the energy bill.

  32. i have my own computer shop last day someone ask me if i am interested in power saver then he told me it help to down my monthly bill into 30%-40% then they push me to give a down payment which is 2500 then i will have my reservation for the unit the total price of the unit is 9500… but i am not believe to them guys can u help me is there a power saver that fit for computers.?

  33. Congratulations Rahul…it is very obvious that you do understand electrical system very well. You are 100 % correct that energy meters registers only the real (active) power (KWhr) and disregards reactive and apparent power. Improving power factor has a lot of beneficial though, one is maximizing system capacity, however, in the case of individual small appliances, would have a negligible effect.

    Seems it is necessary for Mr. Wise Techie to consider retaking his “power apparatus” (is it a subject in your course?), otherwise you definitely will misguide many…

  34. @Roland – So according to you improving power factor will result in a fatter electricity bill , because that is what Rahul wrote.

    Anyway, to get to the point, I don’t have time to feed the trolls.

  35. does these power saver work on 3 phase line? or they are helpful only on single phase line

  36. The Oreva Power Saver works in 2 ways. First, it corrects the power factor of the system through the capacitors built-in in the unit. You could see a significant drop on the ampere being drawn but it doesn’t translate into savings. This is because capacitors only cancels out the reactive power being drawn from the power utility, hence the drop in amperes. When you measure the ampere by using an ammeter, the reading there is the apparent power of the load (true power & reactive power). Capacitor only cancels the reactive power but it doesn’t affect the true power (kw) where you are being billed by the power utility. Unless there is a power factor adjustment clause in your contract with the utility wherein you get rebates if power factor is improved, no significant savings on the electric bill will be realized. However, installing capacitors has intangible savings like reduced wire capacity, improved voltage etc…

    The second feature of Oreva is the auto transformer built-in to their power saver. This is how they get the savings. This auto transformer reduces the input voltage from 2%-5% before going to your electrical load. How will this affect the electrical load and its consumption? For inductive loads, if the motor is not 100% loaded, a signifacnt savings in true power can be realized. The usual thinking of people is when supply voltage drops, an increase in current being drawn will increase, thus the same power is consumed. This is true but not in all cases. If the motor can perform its work with reduced supply voltage and with reduced power, you will get savings. This is evident on some loads like electric fans where the motor is usually not 100% loaded or not heavy-laden. Supplying it with reduced supply voltage which will result to reduced power and torque, would not translate into additional current draw because the motor can drive the shaft at reduced power with no additional torque needed, hence a savings on power cost. But for inductive loads that uses compression, a little savings can be expected at reduced supply voltage. For resistive loads like heater, reduced supply voltage will translate into savings but not all times … let me explain. For hair dryers and shower heater, savings can be achieved because you will not notice the drop in the temperature if reduced voltage is supplied and reduced kilowatt was utilized. But if you boil a water using an electric stove, the same power will be consumed because it will take a longer period to boil water with reduced kilowatt, hence the same power is consumed. For light bulbs and flourescent, reduced supply voltage will immediately translate into savings but you have to be satisfied with a slight decrease in the lumens or brightness of the bulb.

    I am just surprise why Oreva is marketing their product based on the principle of power factor correction. I would suggest they market their product based on the context of Voltage Optimization which is already accepted in different parts of the world. This is just a suggestion.

  37. I want to buy a Power Saver ….Is this suotable or not ? I t really works or only Money Wastage . Can somebody suggest me ?

  38. sir my company has purchase one power saver panel of globtel company , but is principle is different as you told , in this panel one servo motor and one small transformer is situated, so plz tell me that how does this work

  39. @rananjay When a synchronous motor is run in a certain mode, it acts as a capacitive load (like a capacitor). So it can help in power factor correction. Note that it is not a servo motor.

  40. I’m using a power saver that called Electric Saver for almost a year now and it saves me 30% of my total electric bill. it really works… 🙂

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