With the rise in energy prices, in particular for electricity, as well as with the increase in the number of household electrical appliances, every consumer connected to the energy supply has an absolutely logical decision to take measures to save energy. There are many ways to save wasted electricity, however, not so long ago a new, according to the manufacturer, innovative device appeared that will significantly reduce consumption electrical energy both in the apartment and in the house. He's called a saver. What is it, how does this super device work, what does it consist of? And also the main question that interests everyone is whether it is true or false that it will help save money. Before using and purchasing it, you need to understand it more deeply and carefully. In this article, the editors of the site will tell you the whole truth about what an energy saver is and how people are being scammed.
What does an economizer look like and what does it consist of?
This device looks very compact and is completely inexpensive, which, in principle, captivates the consumer, and also encourages him to part with his hard-earned money for the benefit of future huge savings. As the advertising text on them states, the “miracle” device will not only save energy costs, but will even somehow be able to protect all electrical appliances plugged into sockets from being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. Below is the most commonly found electricity saving device in stores, which the manufacturer calls the Electricity Saving Box.
There are two LEDs installed on the front panel, indicating that the saver is in good working order and is ready to perform its assigned functions. It may have several adapters for connecting to sockets of different designs, so that it can be more universal. The design of the energy saver can also have various shapes, rectangular or round, but this does not change the essence of its work.
The technical parameters of the energy saver are indicated on the back:
- Model.
- Operating voltage from 90 to 250 V.
- AC power frequency, 50 Hz-60 Hz.
- The maximum load power at which it is effective is 15,000 W, that is, 15 kW.
- Serial number.
Some of the specimens are designed for fairly heavy loads, which should first of all alert the buyer; sometimes there are models that indicate a power of even up to 40 kW. With such power, the current should be approximately 180 A, which is not used in domestic conditions, since input circuit breakers most often have a rated operating current of 25, or 63 A maximum. Well, let's say, let's say this is the maximum indicator of the economy, and it works at half power, with a reserve of power.
The principle of operation of the device for saving electricity, as advertising resources and the manufacturer again claim, is based on converting the reactive component into an active one and sending it to the network, thereby the saver removes the reactive component from the network. Indeed, the power consumed from the network contains both active and reactive components. At large substations of enterprises, so-called reactive power compensators are installed, which is created by large inductive loads. It appears as a result of work asynchronous motors, transformers and everything that converts electricity into an electromagnetic field. Compensating devices are:
- Transversely connected capacitor banks.
- Reactors.
- Synchronous motors in compensation mode (overexcitation).
This is what reactive power compensators look like, based on a capacitor bank:
However, meters installed at enterprises and distribution substations keep track of both active and reactive components, while at home there are metering elements that count only active energy. Therefore, there is no point in compensating reactive power, especially since in household devices it is so insignificant that it is not even worth taking it into account.
In order to be convinced and understand the device of the saver, you will have to disassemble it and see what is inside it, a capacitor compensation battery or a synchronous generator. And this is what is inside:
And here is his diagram:
Several electronic elements such as a capacitor, resistors, LEDs, and a diode assembly for rectifying the mains voltage, and at best its fuse. Essentially this is electrical diagram to power LEDs, and nothing more, which not only will not save electricity, but, on the contrary, consumes some, albeit small, very insignificant part of the electricity to glow the LEDs. Devices connected from an outlet have almost no reactive energy, and as stated above, the meter does not count it, so the saving effect is zero.
Important! Now we are talking not only about an energy saver Electricity Saving Box, but also about such devices as Econor And Power Saver. All of them are a scam, there is no real benefit from using them, much less saving electrical energy, of course! Below this article we have provided links to more rational and also legal ways to pay less for electricity!
Real life saver test
From theoretical concepts and research, let's move on to practice. In order to make sure whether the energy saver saves electricity, that is, it makes the meter spin more slowly at the same load. There are two practical ways to do this that everyone can try:
- Turn on any one device in electrical network and detect how many revolutions the counter disk makes if it is electromechanical, and if it is electronic, then how many blinks of the LED are made in a certain period of time. On each of the accounting elements it is indicated, for example, that 600 disk revolutions correspond to one kilowatt. Well, this is not so important because you need to carefully calculate the number of revolutions for at least 10 minutes with the device turned on and off to save money.
- The second method is more accurate and faster. To do this, you will need any electrical appliance, no matter what power consumption. This can be done with both a light bulb and a drill, since inside it is, in fact, an electric motor, which is an inductive load. And an ammeter (digital multimeter) is also needed, since only when electric current through the meter, it will keep track of electricity, and the current, in turn, will not appear without connecting the load. We connect the load through a series-connected ammeter and turn it on. Meter at the same time, it will show the current strength in the circuit under study; now we turn on the saver into the socket located as close as possible to the load. If this device, to save money, in some incredible way reduces the current readings, then this will be proof that it is effective and really works.
Thus, any model of this device for saving electricity can, at best, reduce the reactive component of power in apartment networks by connecting a capacitor in parallel, but the meters do not count this energy. And such a capacity will not be enough to compensate for even the slightest reactive power, much less save electricity.
Every year the number electrical devices, used both in everyday life and in production, is constantly increasing. The work that was previously done by people with their hands or with the help of simple mechanical devices is now performed by machines, often with an electric drive. The functions of these devices can be very different. Cooking, providing hot water, heating, ventilation, cleaning, laundry, dishwashing and much more is done using electrical installations. Until recently, the main consumers of electricity in the house were lighting, refrigerator and TV. Many did not even have a vacuum cleaner and washing machine. Now the situation has changed dramatically and electricity bills have also increased manifold, despite the ever-increasing efficiency of devices. Therefore, it is natural to want to find a way to reduce energy consumption without losing the opportunities that electrical appliances provide.
What devices should you not buy to save electricity?
As it seems to many, the easiest way is to purchase a specialized device that allows you to reduce electricity consumption by simply plugging it into an outlet. And there are now a lot of such devices on offer, and the most different models. For example, Energiesparer, SberBox, Smart Box, Energy Saver, Power Saver, Saving-box, Economych and finally, Electricity Saving Box.
Typically, these and similar devices are produced in China. If you look at the characteristics of the devices and analyze their savings indicators, you become a little uncomfortable with the opportunities provided. For example, SberBox, according to sellers, can save up to 45% of electricity with a load power of up to 15 kW! But even a cursory examination shows that in principle it is not capable of working with such high power, if only because in this case it will have to pass up to 68 Amperes through fairly thin contacts.
Electrical appliances currently produced, for example, in Russia, are equipped with cords with type C plugs in accordance with GOST 7396.1-89. The most powerful - C6 (European designation CEE7/17) have round pins with a diameter of 4.8 mm. They are capable of operating normally at currents up to 10 Amps. Having made a rough calculation, you can be sure that, at least, the maximum operating power of the device is clearly overestimated, since to ensure this parameter it is necessary that the diameter of the contact pins be 12.5 millimeters!
How does the energy saving device work?
All these devices are made according to almost identical schemes and operate on the same principle. If you look inside the case, you can usually see a small printed circuit board on which several parts are located. The most important of these is a capacitor with a capacity of 3 to 6 microfarads and a voltage of 250 volts and above, intended for use in an alternating current circuit. All other elements are practically not involved in the process of expected electricity saving.
A capacitor is a device designed to store electric charges and having reactance in an alternating current circuit. All electrical circuits have three components - active, inductive and capacitive. For example, an iron has only active resistance. The fan motor is only inductive (active and capacitive are also present, but so small that they can be neglected). Computer, modern TV and other consumers with pulse blocks power supply – capacitive reactance. The active load does not distort the current and voltage waveforms. The current is in phase with the voltage.
Connecting a capacitive load causes the voltage to lag behind the current. If you connect an inductive load, the voltage across it will outpace the flowing current. The energy stored in the inductance will spread, making oscillatory movements from the load to the generator and back, without being dissipated on the active elements. This power is called reactive power. A reactive load differs from a reactive load in that it stores energy and then releases it back to the generator, which leads to unwanted interaction between the inductive energy and the generator energy. At the same time, the load on the electrical network increases, the wires heat up and this further increases their resistance, and power losses also increase. In addition, the generator is forced to supply more energy to the network to compensate for the consumer's reactive power.
Household meters installed by private individuals do not record reactive power consumption. They take into account only the active component. Consequently, it would be possible to leave the energy generating company alone with its problem, if not for the negative processes occurring with the wiring belonging to the consumer. Therefore, attempts are being made to compensate for the emerging reactive power transferred to the network by another, opposite in sign.
This is exactly how the Electricity Saving Box and similar devices should operate - inductive reactive power (current lags voltage) is compensated by capacitive power (current leads voltage). But the problem is that for full compensation, the reactive power of the inductor must be equal to the power of the capacitor, which is only possible as a result of a random coincidence of the parameters. Therefore, the likelihood of a positive effect from the use of this device (capacitive compensator) is very small. In addition, the capacitive compensator is only designed to combat the reactive power of an inductive load.
If there are no reactive power sources in the network, then it itself becomes such a source. The same applies to a network with a capacitive load - computers, televisions and other modern devices. In this case, it will only increase the existing capacitive component. Another argument against this device is that its small capacitor is not able to compensate for the declared reactive power.
However, such devices have been used in enterprises for quite a long time, since they have large number consumers with inductive loads. For example, Ukrainian enterprises begin to pay for reactive load if its power exceeds 5 kW. To reduce costs, compensators selected for a specific load are used, or automatic devices, monitoring the amount of reactive power in the network and independently connecting required quantity capacitors.
Such devices are mass-produced by many enterprises. As an example, we can cite the installations produced by the VoltEnergo Group. The device KRM "VEG" 0.4 15/5, with a power of 15 kVar and a maximum current of 32 A, is designed for automatic compensation of reactive power with a number of stages of 2 by switching a set of capacitors 10+5. Its cost is 370 US dollars. It is a cabinet, about two meters high. The same company produces an unregulated capacitor unit KRMD 12.5, designed to compensate for inductive reactive power of 12.5 kVar, costing $170. It differs from the previous one in the absence of automation. Actually, this is a powerful battery of capacitors placed in a cabinet equipped with switches and protection.
Economic turmoil forces each of us to think about cutting costs. And last of all, I want to deny myself the usual pleasures: food and going to the movies. So what would be so unimportant to sacrifice to the tightening belt before it turns into a stranglehold? While you are pondering a difficult choice, the solution seems to find you. A kind neighbor, a helpful colleague, or a favorite social worker offers to purchase a small box that can reduce energy costs. I plugged the device into the socket, and the savings began to delight me by growing by tens of percent! The evidence base for the effectiveness of cutting-edge technology is based on encouraging reviews from happy customers and compelling YouTube videos. But is everything as good as advertising tells us?
Next, Lifehacker brings you an entertaining article from a trepanation team consisting of a surgeon LoneWolf and his assistant operby, posted in the original on the pages of the online publication "".
We disassemble the device to save energy
Do you want to become a real fairy tale hero? Not some overseas Superman or Spiderman, but the real Pinocchio!
And to do this, you don’t need to go to the Field of Miracles and bury 5 gold coins in the ground under the cover of darkness... You just need to purchase a device called “Electricity Saving Box” or “Electricity Saving Box”.
Then plug it into the socket (I absolutely do not recommend sprinkling it with salt and pouring water on it), say: “Cracks! Pax! Fax! - and that’s it! You are Pinocchio!
Meanwhile, our respected Distribusilios, who are actively promoting boxes with LEDs that are inserted into a socket and promise “unreal energy savings” and “slowing down the rotation of the meter,” play well on the feeling of “eternal craving for freebies” of our citizens and are rubbing their hands. And, of course, it is the Distributors who make an unreal profit by purchasing these boxes for $4 in China and selling them to gullible citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus for $40.
So what's inside this device? I propose to take a fascinating journey through its insides to evaluate the prospects of these investments! So, the scalpel is in the hands, the patient is on the table!
The most expensive thing about this device is probably the housing. It is made well: silver in color, with black inserts and a mega-glitter logo. However, its two halves are held together with just one screw, which we unscrewed without difficulty.
Inside the miracle device that “saves electricity” there is an electronic board with minimum set components and a relatively large "black box" which we suspect is the secret superweapon (Wunderwaffe) in the fight against kilowatt-hour consumption! And we also suspect that this is an ordinary film capacitor.
On the reverse side, the printed circuit board, which is attached with two screws, looks like this:
The entire circuit created on printed circuit board, is called upon to perform one great miracle - to create necessary conditions for... lighting two LEDs. And to make things more clear, here is a schematic diagram of this device compiled by the surgical team:
Yes, very generally speaking, a small garland of two LEDs and a large film capacitor are hidden inside. We also became interested in how big it was, and we measured it with a pretty good device:
Measurements showed that this black secret capacitor has a capacity of as much as 5.18 microfarads.
After dissection, we put all the insides back in again and stitched the patient up. It was decided to try it out in practice. Without this, our experimental analysis would be incomplete. We inserted the mega-economizer into a well-loaded outlet.
And... Oh miracle! The LEDs really lit up, as did our hopes.
But the meter impudently and confidently “twisted” the same kilowatt-hours as without the connected miracle device...
And yet, at least some effect should have been obtained from connecting a film capacitor with a capacity of 5 μF in parallel with the home electrical network. In other words, what kind of brilliant idea does Distribusilio put in place in order to somehow justify their deception of the gullible Pinocchio? Let's answer directly, the capacitance of this capacitor is so insignificant that it is only enough to compensate for reactive power fluorescent lamp 40 W.
Yes, you heard right, except for active power (P, W, watt), which turns into useful work(movement, rotation, heating), some devices, such as motors, also consume reactive power (Q, var, reactive volt-ampere). It is needed to create an electromagnetic field. So, our washing machine and our refrigerator consume this power from the network and load it unproductively. And if you plug a capacitor (of the required capacity and designed for the required voltage) into an outlet next to the washing machine or refrigerator, then our esteemed refrigerator and washing machine motors will consume reactive power from the capacitor and will not “load the electrical grid.”
And now the MEGA CONCLUSION: the ACTIVE energy meter installed in your apartment is absolutely indifferent to how much reactive energy passes through it. HE DOESN'T CONSIDER HER.
I repeat, a properly designed active energy meter ONLY takes into account the ACTIVE energy that passes through it. So, by installing all sorts of “magic-energy-saving boxes”, you can very slightly relieve a small section of your electrical wiring from a small portion of reactive power. But your counter will not appreciate your efforts.
Therefore, do not be fooled by Distribusilio’s fairy tales, do not buy a film capacitor with LED indication for $40, unless, of course, you want to feel like... Pinocchio.)))
Take care of yourself and your money!
Instead of a conclusion
We turned to one of the authors of the article with a quick survey. Is it worth trying in response to “bend” the state for the exorbitant increase in tariffs and the devaluation of the ruble by deceiving electricity meters? Is there any real benefit from energy efficient household appliances?
Of course it's not worth it. The energy system is constantly improving its methods of finding thieves. In addition, a fine of ten times the amount of the “stolen” will cool any ardor. And most importantly, there are frequent cases of death of “Kulibins” who tried to connect past the metering devices. Therefore, the game is not worth the candle.
I myself only buy high-class electrical appliances (closer to “A”). Electricity will not become cheaper. Therefore, it is a profitable investment.
Alexander Malkov
Still have questions? Ask them in the comments.
When there is demand for a product, supply also appears. Constantly rising prices for electricity have given rise to a large number of “miracle devices” (for example, Electricity saving box), promising to reduce energy consumption by almost half. Their action is based on the conversion of reactive energy into active energy. However, the design of such devices is so simple that almost any person who is not alien to technology can make an energy saver with their own hands.
Homemade device for saving energy, principle of operation
The fundamental principle is that any electrical power consists of reactive and active energy. Active is useful in everyday life, it activates all mechanisms. Reactive, on the contrary, is useless and even reduces the efficiency of the power system. Metering devices (mechanical and electrical meters) determine only the amount of active energy used, for which household consumers pay.
Industrial enterprises also pay for reactive energy, which is measured by special meters. It is created by mechanisms with a high inductive component (for example, electric motors), and in plants and factories its amount is reduced using special capacitor units.
Considering the above, ideas on how to make a device for yourself were in the air. In everyday life, sources of reactive energy are ordinary mechanisms with electric motors (food processor, hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, drill). On the other hand, there are devices that need D.C.(TVs and computer monitors). Therefore, they began to develop a device for, the circuit of which would reduce electricity consumption by converting it into active reactive energy.
Theoretical justification and schematic diagram of a homemade saver
The essence of the savings is that the load is powered not from an alternating current network, but from a connected capacitor, the charge of which is carried out in pulses high frequency, while corresponding to the sinusoidal voltage in the network. Electric meters are equipped with an input induction converter with low sensitivity to high-frequency currents. For this reason, the pulsed energy consumption of the meter is taken into account with a significant negative error.
To create the device you need the following parts:
- microcircuit (K155 LAZ),
- Zener diode (D2 -KS156A),
- diodes (D1 - D226B; Br2 - D242B; Br1 - D232A),
- transistors (TZ - KT315, T2 - KT815V, T1 - KT848A),
- high-frequency capacitors (C2, SZ - 0.1 µF, C1 - 1 µF x 400V),
- electrolytic capacitors (C5 - 1000 µF x 16V, C4 - 1000 µF x 50B),
- low-power transformer 220/36 V,
- resistors (RЗ - 56 Ohm; R1, R2 - 27 kOhm; R5 -22 kOhm; R4 - 3 kOhm; R6 - 10 Ohm; R7, R9 - 560 Ohm; R8 - 1.5 kOhm).
Assembly is carried out according to diagram 1. Transistors are installed using insulating gaskets on a 150 sq.cm radiator. Must apply fuses. The assembled low-voltage power supply should produce a 36 V output current of 2 A and 5 V to power the generator, which generates pulses with an approximate frequency of 2 kHz and an amplitude of 5 V. During assembly of the circuit, you need to check the operating mode using an oscilloscope. After this, a capacitor is connected.
The assembled device was designed for a load of 1 kW. It is recommended to load the device at its nominal value or turn it off when removing the load, since an unloaded device consumes significant power, which is taken into account by the meter.
The device is designed to supply alternating current to household consumers. Power – 1 kW/h, voltage – 220 V. The assembled device is connected to an outlet and powers the load, without requiring grounding. According to calculations, when connecting such a homemade energy saver, the meter takes into account only 25% of the electricity consumed.
Scheme 2 has also been developed, which allows powering consumers operating on both direct and alternating current (fireplaces, electric stoves, lighting, water heaters). The main caveat is the absence in such devices of elements that are designed for AC(transformers, electric motors).
Do-it-yourself energy saving devices, expert reviews
Experts point out that an attempt to apply the operating principle of industrial capacitor units that accumulate reactive energy at home is doomed to failure. Industrial reactive power compensators are rather bulky devices, initially designed for a specific load and taking into account a whole range of additional parameters. In addition, most powerful home devices already have sufficiently powerful reactive energy catchers-capacitors built into their design.
A large number of commentators and experts point out that such devices, even those assembled with care and quality, are only capable of deceiving old induction type meters. Electronic energy metering devices are quite capricious devices and often cannot withstand such treatment; the microcircuits in them burn out. This leads to the need to replace the device and an unpleasant conversation with energy sales specialists, which is fraught with a fine with many zeros.
People passionate about experiments with electricity create various devices; there are hundreds of them on the Internet. However, this does not mean that all their inventions need to be tested in your home, risking your own property and life.However, replacing a meter is not the worst thing that can happen if an amateur takes on such a delicate matter as electricity. Considering the often not the best state of electrical wiring in Russian houses and apartments, such amateur activities may end short circuit and fire.