I’m sure a lot of you have seen this on HSN or in the malls — that wattage-zapping device which claims could lower your electricity bill by as much as 30%. I got curious so we tried it out several months ago.
The theory behind the device is that it normalizes the current running thru the house (hundreds of meters of copper wiring running thru the walls) and thus reducing the power consumed thereby lowering the electric bill. I’m no electrical engineer so I can really explain it very well so an actual test should be in order.
The device, named Power Saver Max, is plugged into a wall socket and does all the trick. And it costs a whooping Php3,500USD 60INR 5,056EUR 57CNY 434 a pop. It used to be Php7,000USD 119INR 10,112EUR 114CNY 869 several years ago when it first became public.
Of course, there are various other factors that might affect the fluctuations in power consumption around the house but by taking monthly samples, we may be able to see some sort of a trend.
For the last 9 months, our Meralco bill has been pretty consistent with power usage in the vicinity of 750 kilo-watt hours. Then in October, we tried that wattage-zapping device. The sales guy guaranteed that if we don’t get lower bill in 3 to 6 months, we can return it and get my money back.
The October usage went down but the following month, it went back up again only to go down in December. Those drops accounted for just 11% and 16% reduction on the bills. I’m not yet convinced so I’m giving it another 2 months.
Anybody else had this one at home? Did you notice any changes in your electricity bills?
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
How to transfer, withdraw money from PayPal to GCash
Prices of Starlink satellite in the Philippines
Install Google GBox to Huawei smartphones
Pag-IBIG MP2 online application
How to check PhilHealth contributions online
How to find your SIM card serial number
Globe, PLDT, Converge, Sky: Unli fiber internet plans compared
10 biggest games in the Google Play Store
LTO periodic medical exam for 10-year licenses
Netflix codes to unlock hidden TV shows, movies
Apple, Asus, Cherry Mobile, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Oppo, Samsung, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Infinix Mobile, Pocophone, Honor, iPhone, OnePlus, Tecno, Realme, HTC, Gionee, Kata, IQ00, Redmi, Razer, CloudFone, Motorola, Panasonic, TCL, Wiko
Best Android smartphones between PHP 20,000 - 25,000
Smartphones under PHP 10,000 in the Philippines
Smartphones under PHP 12K Philippines
Best smartphones for kids under PHP 7,000
Smartphones under PHP 15,000 in the Philippines
Best Android smartphones between PHP 15,000 - 20,000
Smartphones under PHP 20,000 in the Philippines
Most affordable 5G phones in the Philippines under PHP 20K
5G smartphones in the Philippines under PHP 16K
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2024
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2023
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2022
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2021
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2020
edieboy says:
oh great it may guide to many users of electricity because you had already use of it.
http://cadztech.blogspot.com
koolitz says:
for me, this is good only if your power consumption reaches 1000kw and above…kasi if you save up to 30%…that is only 300kw..and the cost per kw cguro sarado na natin 10pesos….so 300 pesos per month ma save mo…. in short mga almost 1 year mo pa mababawi ang investment mo na 3,500 assuming di sya masira after a year :-)
pero kung nasa below 1000kw usage ka lang per month para sa akin di sya okay
Abe Olandres says:
@koolitz, 300kWh costs Php3,000, not Php300.
koolitz says:
oopss sorry my mistake…below 100kwh not 1000kwh :-)
jpeb says:
the salesman at the mall said that you need to plug the device closest to the appliance that uses the most power and is always on. i guess that means the refrigerator.
i don’t know if this is just sales talk but he also suggested to get at least two of these for homes that consume about 650 to 1000kwh.
sylv3rblade says:
The theory of the device is sound actually, it’s basic electronics.
Add enough capacitance (much like a potentiometer for resistance) so that the power factor of your house’s circuitry reaches unity (IE. exactly 1.00) and you’ll get power savings.
Thing is, the capacitance that needs to be added depends on the current actual usage of the circuitry, in which case if you add/subtract a device, the power factor goes out of unity and the device either works poorly or fails.
sky says:
Those are actually good results, considering you [I’m assuming here] have Christmas lights up during the Christmas season. Yeah, I suggest further trial and testing. Keep us posted. :)
Huan22 says:
So what if it normalizes the current? Does it mean your appliances would consume less energy? Many products go on the market today didn’t got tested by regulatory bodies. That is why the consumers really have to dodge a bullet when it comes to buying untested products.
Carlo REE says:
i haven’t used one of these ‘power savers’ but the first thing that came to mind was the device was mainly a capacitor. sylv3rblade mentioned that it’s basically adding capacitance, and i think he’s correct.
in general, capacitance is added to the system to counteract the effect of inductive devices, i.e. refrigerators, air conditioners, large motors, transformers. by convention, a capacitor supplies ‘positive’ reactive power that would otherwise be supplied by the system (through Meralco). this supply of ‘positive’ reactive power generally lowers the current magnitude since it brings the power factor from negative to unity (1.00 pf).
if it’s truly a capacitor, precaution needs to be taken here – add too many of these ‘power savers’ and you risk having an overvoltage inside your house if you unplug/turn off your ref, aircon, etc. that is, if the ‘power saver’ does not have sensing of the power factor and doesn’t turn itself off automatically in the event of an oversupply. an oversupply of reactive power will bring the power factor to positive, and that will generally raise the voltage at your end.
in my opinion, it won’t matter where you plug the ‘power saver’ so long as you plug it after the electric meter.
also, Meralco’s residential billing structure and metering does not meter your consumption of reactive power (kVar) and reactive energy (kVarh). in commercial and industrial billing structures, kVar and kVarh is metered, and they are penalized if their power factor is below -0.80 or above ~1.00 and given a discount if it is in the region of -0.95 and 1.00.
however, i advice you to go ahead with testing, maybe there’s something else there that we don’t know of that would truly lower your consumption. like i’ve said, i haven’t used this device yet, and if it does what it promises to do, then i’m all for it :)
Kevin Cheng says:
@jpeb
I think buying 2 or more really is sales talk, since the demonstrator I talked to advised against more than 1 unit
Of course, many things about the device really is questionable at this point…
liz says:
hi!
does it work?
i think since october… two months are up now… =)
please advise. thank you!
Abe Olandres says:
@liz – sor far, there’s been some significant reduction in power usage. I still need a couple more months to see the trend.
noel (work at home dad) says:
I bought that a couple of months ago and it seems that it didn’t really brought my electric bill down.
Halos ganun pa din.
If you open the device, it is actually a capacitor and some electronics to do the “knight rider” led driver.
stranger says:
if you can backtrack previous years consumption much better for comparison since each month we have different consumption (higher consumption during summer etc). better compare per month this yr vs last year.
Mike says:
we’ve been using this device for 2years now, there’s a significant decrease in kw/hr. We bought ours for 9k, that was 2 years ago.
Derbs says:
I’m using a different brand of power saver for almost 4 months now in my house. And my average cost of electricity was P2,500/mo. Now, my february electric bills dropped to P1,300. Also, we used a higher capacity power saver in our gas station. The Ave. monthly bill was P24,000 but last Feb. our bill dropped to P20,000.
I think if these power savers don’t give any savings to consumers, maybe they don’t need to market them in the first place.
Also, it’s better to judge them(power savers) if you yourself used it.
kaizn says:
i just bought mine couple of hours ago and i bought it on sale at 1,900 per unit plus a 10% discount. I decided to have 2 units for the actual size of our structure. It seems that the way these capacitors & resistors work is to reroute unusable “leak” electricity into usable, much stable electric current that would generate electric power for various appliances. Therefore, practically speaking, the 20-35% power savings we’re talking here is actually the electric losses naturally occuring through copper wires, hysteresis (electric motors) and other forms of ripple. And perhaps the most effective way of utilizing this device is to have it closest to your main switch as it would greatly bypass incoming electricity to other electric outlets.
I will be using these units starting tomorrow and observe the effects on my bills for the next few months. Any significant kW/H drops on my electric consumption, i’ll let you guys know.
miles says:
my father bought one at handyman about 3 months ago. i plugged it immediately and after 2 months i noticed a little decrease in our consumption. but just last night, the gadget overheated. i just dont know what happened but the plug was completely burnt.
Ted says:
I saw it on 20% discount sale this morning at Handyman. Does it really work? Any updates? Thanks.
utol kong says:
FOR TED >>>>>> it doesn’t work during holidays and weekends because there is no work during these days
Bong Lim says:
Can you possibly give me the contact numbers or email address of the manufacturer of this POWER SAVER MAX??
THE HANDYMAN STORE cannot tell me whom to communicate, there is no contact details on the box or even inside ( the piece of paper ):
On the month prior to purchasing the POWER SAVER MAX, our consumption was 885 kwhs, with the Aircondition unit open overnight ( with an average
14 hours a day operation )., after I bought the
unit, we were able to use the Airconditioning Unit even in the hot afternoon. Our consumption nevertheless fell to 820 kwhs.
With the almost 24 hours operation, our Aircon Unit
suffered lost compression, being more than 14 years old. but still delivers some cooling.
A couple of factors, the POWER SAVER MAX, classes resumption, and other factors brought our current consumption to 400 kwhs.
Floi says:
I will attend the orientation of this product tomorrow. ill update you guys if this product have a potential in the market
ZYCH says:
i just bought this powersaver yesterday.. this morning it made a somewhat zapping sound, it goes on for a few seconds then the sound stops.. after a few minutes it made the same sound..
does your powersavers happen to made the same sound?
thanks..
ElectricMan says:
Don’t bother with these things. None of them do anything, and if they did, they’d be incorporated into appliances already. You’ve already got capacitors in your various machines and light fixtures to correct the power factor, and the ‘filtering’ does nothing at all for your electric bill.
The best thing to do is to learn to read your electric meter and learn the power consumption of each of your appliances. You may find, for example, that the electric heater someone uses to warm their feet takes more power than all of your tools.
anna says:
I bought one.ill let u guys know if it does what it promises.
Maricar says:
message for kaizn: any updates with your electricity bill? I just bought 1 unit last night.
jvrempillo says:
i bought mine 2mos ago at sm for only php 1500. when i open it its just a capacitor & some circuits for the blinking lights. am a bit disappointed because it’s just a simple device. anybody with a little knowledge in electronics could have done it but our monthly bill went down by 6kW so it’s a little bit effective but not as effective as advertised w/c is 20-35% savings. anybody got any idea what will happen if we 3 or more capacitors to the device?
fritz says:
i only paid P1,500 for these..that P3,000 price is a rip off
Allan says:
the device is worth buying… i am using my aircondition unit 24 hrs 7 days a week. This is amazing. from 5000 a month now im only paying 1 peso… hahahhahaha
zack says:
guys,
zack says:
guys,
kiddin aside. i’m planning to buy one.
does it really work?
my monthly bill is ranging from php6000 to 7000.
i really need to know if it really work:)
thanks.
GIZ says:
Allan, of course, you are not serious, right?
ken says:
guys, the power saver max is really work, i already prove it.for my bill before P5,ooo it becomes 4k something…
Dei says:
ken, check ur grammar.
yuga, any update?
ian says:
i bought 1 yesterday. the salesman said that if your monthly electric bill is ranging from 5k and above(mine is 7k to 9k), you should use 2 to 3 devices. but of course, he IS a salesman. so updates will still be greatly appreciated.
ALDRIN says:
Power Saver Max would really works if your lightings are 3 or more fluorescent lamps 20watts or 40watts with ballast and 1 or more refrigerators in your house. More Offices and other commercial establishment may use this power saver if more fluorescent ballasted lightings and inductive loads.
I’m an authorized dealer of power saver max and our Price: Php1,500.00 per unit with also money back guarantee. Power saver correct the apparent power into true power. This would lower current consumption and results into lower power consumption. The running light (LED) is the discharge module of the capacitor that prevent from power collission of the capacitor power from the incoming power supply during brown-outs.
For more information please call @ my landline (02) 467 62 13 or cel.# 0919 442 50 51. Thank you more power saving.
Bong Lim says:
For Aldrin : Thank you for explaining the running light (LED), which I always term as “Knight Rider”.
My unit has been serving its purpose since May this year, and it has so far paid for itself many
times over.
One tip I would like to share, count all your operating loads at the time you want to test the product, and then determine the KW load by adding the total wattages of the appliances running.
If the total load is 1000 watts or 1 kw., read the electric meter and read it after one hour, if the
difference between the 2 readings is one (1). Then you have an accurate electric meter, and your electric consumption is just right.
Bong Lim says:
To Mr ElectricMan and others :
The powersaver max will work more effectively
on appliances which are already in use for quite some time., yes you are right in saying that manufacturers have already incorporated such capacitors, but these are just starting capacitors.
If the whole load is newly bought, it is best to wait for a few months or a year before using the
Powersaver.
It is best recommended that the Powersaver max unit
be placed near the main panel board, or at the farthest point from the panel board.
It will take a day or two for the maximum effect of the Powersaver to be realized, as it still has to clean and upgrade the entire system.
Don Calicot says:
Reading from comments of users here,the power saver device can give significant savings if used for houses, offices, busines establishments with electric bills starting from 4000 pesos and up. I think it can also work for lower electric-usage houses,those ranging from 3000 – 2000 pesos or below but the amount saved will only be minimal.
Well any savings by any device whether in hundreds or even a few pesos is a better alternative than being charged monthly with transmission and system losses which apparently also include, aside from illegal connections, Meralco’s and their payment branches’ electric usage in a given electric grid.
n. mikata says:
With all comments, are you all Meralco customers ?
WishBone says:
is this really works? i bought it yesterday in handyman the sales girl have a geat tounge to let the customer purchsd it
Bong Lim says:
That sales girl should be given an award by
the manufacturer and the handyman store…
I myself endorses the product, not by selling it
but by educating the consumers like me.
pom says:
i also bought 2 units during a supposed sale in trinoma which costs P1500 from P3,900(which i just found out that it really cost P1,500 only. the fact that they are saying it was on sale was very misleading and therefore the electrical savings they advertise might also be misleading. i’ll find out in the my next month’s bill.
fonz says:
So Yuga, any updates on your Power Saver? I wanna hear your respected updates first before deciding on whether to purchase it or not. Thanks!
beng says:
pls compare same month on different years…
robbie tan says:
I tested this device and several like it. capacitors dont lower power consumption and motors cannot consume less power while doing the same amount of work.
glad you people can lower your bills but these devices are bogus
Lloyd says:
my friend has been using 2 units of power saver on their home… their usual electrical bill is around 10kphp on the first month of usage it turn 9,800php. but this month which the 3rd month that they have been using it their bills turn out to be 8,700php.
not bad…
im still wondering if they could still add another unit to still lessen the bill…
Craighdavid says:
A Dispostif that plugs directly taken directly consumes energy. so it does not Dimun the contrary it increases. These people take us for fucks.
Itchie says:
As I was reading all comments, our water tank got filled and overflowed. It dawned on me that this is the same as the claim of the Power Saving Devices. The water tank is like the Capacitor, and at peak hours where electricity source is less, it supplies (partly) what’s needed. However that electricity stored has already passed the electric meter and we are all billed by KWh used not on amperes or voltage. In short, if all the drop of whatever happened after the meter, there is no savings.
Emer Camaya says:
Our electric bill looks much like the trend you posted and we’re not even using Power Saver Max (PSM). The truth is, your monthly power consumption depend on a lot of factors and it may fluctuate either way. If it goes up, you get your money back. If it goes down, they get the sale, whether it was due to PSM or not.
Based on the description of the product, I’m assuming that its main function is to bring the power factor (p.f.) closer to unity. This is accomplished by putting capacitors in parallel to your electrical load. The effect is a phase shift and a reduction in current (due to vector addition of resistive, inductive currents with the capacitive current). This is what the salesman shows you in the store. Instinctively, we translate lower current to a reduction in power consumption. That is why they never use purely resistive loads in their demo, because it doesn’t result in a reduced current reading. However, average AC power is a function of Voltage, Current and Power Factor. With voltage being constant, a lower current, and a higher power factor, the net effect on average power is negligible.
It is easier to understand it with the power triangle: Apparent power (VA or kVA) is the hypotenuse, reactive power (kVar) is the opposite side (vertical) and real power (kW, the value we pay for) is the adjecent side (horizontal). The cosine of the angle is the power factor. What the Power Saver Max does is add a negative reactive power (capacitance load) so the effect is the reactive power (kVar) will be pulled closer to zero, reducing the angle (therefore increasing the p.f. making it closer to 1). The real power (kW) doesn’t change at all. Apparent power (kVA) is reduced (hypotenuse becomes shorter). With voltage being constant at 220 RMS, this means that the current has been reduced, hence the result of the demo meter reading that the salesman at Handyman or Ace Hardware are trying to show us. Unfortunately, we are billed for Real power, not Apparent power.
The only advantage I can think of with using this product is that it reduces conductor load and would lower line losses (I^2*R losses), but that’s very insignificant. However, for industrial consumers, Meralco imposes penalties for having low power factor, so the industrial consumers invest in having capacitors installed (or synchronous motors a long time ago, which has the same effect) to improve their power factor. Meralco does this because this would have a big effect on their line losses of their transmission lines (rememeber, higher current, higher line loss).
Luskter says:
Hi all,
I am running an experiment on each area/appliances in the house by using a power meter (that measures actual kwh) instead of a clamp meter (that measures current). I will post my results here next month. My mother-in-law has 2 of these power savers and I will borrow one from her for my experiment.
Jad says:
Yesterday, I bought two units of Power Saver Max at Landmark, Makati for P1,796. I’ve scanned the front and back of its package (See link below). I just wonder if this is really effective in helping bring down our monthly Meralco bill. Please, anybody who have also bought this device to post your review. Thanks.
http://www.picscrazy.com/view/powersavermax
Jad says:
Yesterday, I bought two units of Power Saver Max at Landmark, Makati for P1,796 each. I’ve scanned the front and back of its package (See link below). I just wonder if this is really effective in helping bring down our monthly Meralco bill. Please, anybody who have also bought this device to post your review. Thanks.
http://www.picscrazy.com/view/powersavermax
Jad says:
MAKE A POWER SAVING PLUG.
Just plug one of these amazing devices into any socket in your house and save up to 35% on your electricity bill. It sounds too good to be true. Lets take one to bits so we can copy it and save lots of money.
http://www.bigclive.com/power.htm
To all the people reading this and who have visited the link above–what are your comments?
jose says:
Hi! I”m quiet at a loss on where to plug the Power Saver Max (PSM), since it is indicated at the “box” of the unit, to “Simply plug it on any AC outlet”. Inside the box however, there is another instruction that goes like this: “Do not plug the PSM beside the plugs of high electricity consuming appliances…”. In my case, I just plugged it at the almost “end” outlet in my house. Will PSM perform its desired effect of reducing my electric consumption? Please satisfy my curiosity. Thanks a lot!
aMz says:
Hi Guys,
Naniniwala ako sa product na to. Tama si JC TORA.. May logic dn kc dapat pag ginagamit to… 1st, kung below 5000watts(TOTAL) lng ang ginagamit mo sa bahay everyday.. Wag kang bibili ng models na tig- 25,000 watts.. ndi tlga gagana ung Energy saver mo.. Dapat sakto lng lagi.. ndi pwdeng sobra.. recommended and 15k watts ~ 25k watts for computer shops, offices, etc but kung bahay lang.. 5k-10k lng dapat ang gagamitin mo.. bill nmin last month was 5k, gumamit kmi nito.. this month ang bill nmin is 3.8k.. Same pa dn ung gamit nmin ng kuryente.. mas malala pa nga eh.. walang patayan ng aircon.. makaka save ka tlga dto!
Luckster says:
@ Jose Can you check if the box, the product and the instruction manual refer to the same product number? My guess is one of these is incorrect. Maybe the manual included is for another product. From my understanding it should not matter where you put the PSM.
Luckster (Luskter) says:
Initial results:
This is a follow up to my post on Mar 19. I borrowed the Power Saver Max from my mother-in-law and plugged it near the refrigerator.
For 2 data points (24 hours usage). The Power Saver Max (PSM) has lowered the power consumption by about 20%. I also measured it on an aircon and got 11% power savings. Now this is just 1 datapoint for each appliance. I am planning to buy 1 PSM and will get more data to check for consistency.
lenie says:
me & my sister just bought this PSM…the salesman was really good,so we decided to try it…our bill was really expensive even we only use our aircon at night bec we cant sleep with this kind of climate…after plugging it,i started thinking…will it overheat and cause fire…so i google this device…and here i am,i read lots of comment…some are bad and some are good…which is normal…everything has its own disadvantage and advantage…but im hoping that it wont cause any serious damage,i haven’t read one…and,hope it will reduce our bill even if it only reduces to 10-20%…as long as it works!
and i just wish that Meralco will reduce the charges…it will be a great help to everyone
richmond says:
will power saver be effective say on internet shops with 15 cpus?
jun says:
It did work on my part..
comparing it with aircon usage and added new PC.. I think I save more or less 1k..
before.. I am using my aircon 8-10 hours a day..
my bill is around 4.8k-5k…
now.. I am using it 15-20 hours a day.. then added new 25 inch lcd monitor and a mac mini.. and new electric fan…
my bill is.. 5k-5.5k.. but with 8 more hours of aircon and added appliances.. i think i save more..
Emer says:
@Luckster – What kwh meter are you using and how is it set up? (i.e. how is it wired into your circuit) The reason I ask is because it should be able to take into account the phase difference between voltage and current. It is absolutely important that the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current are taken at any given time and integrated over time, and not just the RMS values. Otherwise, power factor should be considered as well.
The power meter that Meralco uses make use of two coils (one for voltage, another for current). The voltage phase is shifted by 90 degrees using a lag coil. It is this phase difference that produces eddy currents and make the aluminum disk to rotate. In a purely resistive circuit (incandescent, flat iron, etc), the phase difference in the meter is 90 degrees. In a resistive-inductive circuit (aircon, ref, flourescent, etc), the phase difference in the kwh meter would be less than 90. For the same power measured by the kwh meter, the current in the inductive load would be higher than the purely resistive load, or a circuit pf corrected by capacitors.
Emer says:
@Jad, It would be good if someone cracks open the Power Saver Max and show us how it actually works.
Luckster (Luskter) says:
@Emer
The link below will show you a similar wattmeter I used. Basically I measured the kwh consumed with and without the PSM (power saver device) using the same parameters (time elapsed, thermostat value, time measured). This watt meter takes into account the PF (power factor) thus both inductive and purely resistive loads are measured almost accurately.
http://www.solarhome.org/killawattmeter.aspx
Jad says:
Hi, guys. I just came across a similar product. I’m beginning to realize that these kinds of energy saver things are being marketed all over as different brands.
http://www.surgexpro.com/cart.php
Send in more of your comments/reviews.
Emer says:
@Luckster
Kill-a-watt meter…Now this is some product that everyone should have. First, it makes us aware which products consumes most. Second it makes us aware more about saving. Third, it helps us verify the power saving measures we are doing. Thanks! Is this available locally?
For the Electrical Engineers here, has anyone made calculations whether I^2R losses in motors significant enough to be affected by less than unity power factors? Because in any case, this is the only savings the Power Saver Max can provide that I can think of.
Clint Znipper says:
This power saver cost too much. You can use capacitor to improve the power factor of your electrical system which cost less than this thing. And besides, the main principle of operation of that device is just the same as the capacitor that it only improves the reactive power generated by your equipment giving lagging power factor (motors, electric fans, etc).
Poipoy says:
I saw this gadget at sm north. so i decided to listen to his explanation. for some time a crowd starts to build up. Just for fun, i interrupted him and did calculations from his measured amperes. After the calculations the power saver has no effect and they were shocked by the numbers done in front of them.
The price and product is a rip off. this also do not apply to those who are billed for real power.
@Emer
just what all of us thought. it is just a big damn capacitor.
Poipoy says:
Also i think this is only psychological. The person who will buy this unconsciously will save electricity because he does not want to regret spending his money on a device that doesn’t work. So he lessens the use of electricity and claiming that the device do works.
jefhoy says:
this kind of power saver doesn’t satisfies the theory of power factor..lets say right!!!!you need a capacitor to bring back the power factor to unity…but??????for only one load lng un…means one capacitive reactance per inductive reatance for equilibrium state…so ung nbibili ay isang capacitor lng ang laman..oo kapag kinbitan mo xa ng lights or washing machine motor..yap mkikitang the current consumptions will drop down..but???bkit unti unti ng nawawalan ng effect ung power saver kapag ntaas ung load???kxe di n nya kayang tapatan ung inductive reactance nung iba pang load..un b ang kind ng power saving device???tsaka bkit ameter lng ang patunay nila sa product nla????dapat my power factor meter din sila para mlamn ntin kung talagang it really corrects the power factor in any kind of loads n ikakabit>>>>kxe to prove that power consumption in VA should drop down..dapat mkita ntin n ung power factor ay laging unity or .99 so that ung VA at WATTS ( apparent power at true power) ay equal…
clint_znippper says:
Yes its right that you need capacitor to bring back the power factor to unity. I agree to you because inductive reactance and capacitive reactance give opposite effect on one circuit. Tama ka dun, it has a capacitor inside and maybe they have added some electronic components to make it look professional. Once you put this on a circuit the current will really decrease because of the power factor correction that took place. This device will lost its effect once load has increased because the rating of the capacitor on this device is just fix in value (meaning only one value say 1000 microfarad). In increase of load, same capacitive reactance was given by this device which will give a result that this device seems not functioning at all. Why ammeter, because you can easily see the change in current after plug in of the device and yes they should have a power factor meter also to see if it corrects power factor and for the customer to see the power factor coming back to unity. I suggest to the manufacturer to have a device that automatically adjust the capacitor value with regards to load variation for your device to be effective and efficient one.
manhattangreen says:
The only appliances that have low power factor would be those with motors and magnetic ballasts. New CFL bulbs (always good to check the box) have a power factor of 0.98, which is more or less close to perfect.
New air conditioners and refrigerators have also substantially improved in performance, but the bottomline is, it is so hard to prove that you have saved as electricity use is more or less the same anyway.
The best and only effective way of saving energy is through the use of energy monitors, unplugging chargers when not in use, unplugging appliances on Standby, keeping the air conditioner running at 25 degrees and having a small fan circulate air instead. These little changes can indeed give large savings.
I actually do have a blog where I post advice on going green called greener philippines, you can check out a lot of information there.
roni says:
im not very will inform,about using capacitor to lower the elecric bill. i heard somebody selling power saver but they are using …transformers is it possible? pls help me understand.if it works ,what is the difference using capacitor than transformers.Poipoy i appreciate your explanation and calculation can yo show us how you show your calculation when you visit in sm north that he pwr saver has no effect in reducing electric bill considering ampheres
roni says:
The real power (kW) doesn’t change at all. Apparent power (kVA) is reduced (hypotenuse becomes shorter). With voltage being constant at 220 RMS, this means that the current has been reduced, hence the result of the demo meter reading that the salesman at Handyman or Ace Hardware are trying to show us. Unfortunately, we are billed for Real power, not Apparent power.
EMER CAMAYA, YOU REALLY EDUCATE US THE PRODUCT WHAT WE ARE BUYING.YOU ARE A BIG HELP FOR US.HOPE YOU KEEP IN TOUCH HERE.IS THERE ANY WAY TO LESSEN THE REAL POWER? YOU MEAN TO SAY ,,,POWER SAVER CANT HELP US REDUCE OUR ELECTRICITY BILL? CAN U PLS. HELP US OR ADVICED US WHICH PWR SAVER WE ARE GOING TO BUY?TNX GOD BLESS U AND YOUR FAMILY
JC Tora says:
This device is only effective if you have more than 1 Ref or has an air-con. Try to open the device and it’s only a capacitor. We Electrical Engineers and EE Students call this process, Power Factor Correction.
Its purpose is to remove/lessen the reactive power used by inductors (coils, main ex:Motors). If you ask the both commercial and industrial establishments, it really saves power, thats because they have large equipments (inductors by nature) which consume huge power. It’s easier to correct industrial and commercial Power Factors because they’re consumption per hour doesn’t vary too much like our house (we don’t operate appliances all day).
So again, buy these devices if you have:
Aircon/s
more than 1 ref/freezer
rod says:
i don’t belive in this device it’s a scam. the best power saver switch off lights when not in use and unplug appliances when not in use.
JC Tora says:
No not really… It’s just that these kind of power saving solution is not applicable to our house.
Iceman says:
i do make that kind of devices, but it only works on appliances with motors.
Don says:
i bought 1 of these 2 years ago and returned it back because i wasnt getting any savings. back then i consume about 100KWH per month.
but now, i am consuming 370KWH monthly because of 20 hours daily operation of our room aircon. Right now im thinking to give it a try again. i already have googled for the principles behind it and understood that it works best with inductive motors like aircons.
monitoring is easy. take a snapshot of your electric meter using your cellphone and deduct it from the next day (same time). after that plug the unit and check any difference on the succeeding day.
by the way, it would be much more accurate to post your savings here in KWH and not your bill amount. Meralco changes its rates once in a while you know.
meanandgreen says:
Well, what happened to Yuga? We should be hearing from him for updates since he started this topic.
reynaldo potes says:
pls. reply at once. urgent…
TJ says:
I just bought a powermax for 2k in Farmers, Cubao. A little bit higher than what was posted here. However, they have a free anti-mosquito bulb, so I guess I’ve got the same price also. Anyway, I’ll monitor my consumption for 3months since this was the guarantee that is they’ve committed to the customers. I’ll will give post again after I receive my next bill.
princess jandi says:
i bought mine last month at handyman galleria..i just got my bill today and guess what…….bokya!!! very unfortunate me.
Holly says:
It’s sad that it didn’t work for others but for me PowerSaver has been very effective. Before using this, my usual Meralco bill is around 4000-5000pesos but just a month after using it my bill went down to 2400-2700pesos and I didn’t even lessen my use of the aircon at home since it’s summer. I notice that from the usual 300-350kwh, my monthly usage became 215-250kwh (HUGE Decrease!!!). I don’t care about the principles behind this little machine but for me what’s important is it really works.
AAA Family says:
Watch out Folks! I know the in and out of this gadget. Before using this gadget, you must check line current first by using Clamp meter to see your actual currrent reading. Then plug the power saver (Kuno) to see if there is drop in current. This is good indication but leaving it plugged without appliance or motor load will increse your monthly bill. I’m speaking of my experience.
Iarra says:
I Agree with AAA Family. plugging more than 1 power saver will not be propotion to the household consumption unless you monitor them with Clamp meter. Power factor in this case will likewise will have no effect. Capacitance is is the key to this gadgets. As friendly advice, unplug your power saver during the day when no lights or aircon is used.
aeshia says:
hi, we just bought this “powersaver”.. it costs 13500, its 60 amperes… im just wondering if this is too much? well, just wanna make sure we weren’t scammed.. its a big cost.
plz reply. tnx
shing says:
my mom and i bought this product today at ace hardware at ali mall. i’m still a bit skeptical and i have NO idea how to monitor it (unless i see next month’s bill).
but then the guy at the hardware store said that if this little device didn’t work, we can always go back there, bring the statements and then ask for a refund.
well, that’s what he said anyway~
angbutassadonut says:
heyya, good thing i stumbled upon this site. ive been killing myself to deciding wether im gonna buy of those here at sm (its on sale from 2k to 1500 now) or not. well, our bill is only 1800k, from most comments on top, seemed like the gadget only works w bills higher than 2k.
i cant do the computations from our meter aswell since meralco took all our meters and put them all together on the most top of a post (duh, alam na..). and its been rampant w the news lately that meralco’s gona put add charges for their stupid loss. so i just wanna know, will my bill go low w this gadget, we only have 3 lights, 1tv, a fridge, a laptop and 2 fans that is 24×7 hehe. (i hate my bro’s laptop coz before he had it, i only pay 1400 the most, now he plays w it 6hrs a day and my bill went up to 1800+ grr hehe)
tnx!
Luckster says:
Follow up on my experiments.
I got a new energy data logger that acquires more data than the previous power meter. The power saver max (PSM) only affects the power factor (PF) and only VA (Volt-Amp) takes into account the PF while Watts does not. Distribution companies like Meralco charge us by the kilowatt (1,000 watts) per hour we use. In conclusion the PSM will not lower your electric bill. I got this data on an 1.2HP air conditioner and an 80-watt electric fan. I have yet to do this on a refrigerator.
There are other ways to save on electricity like energy management and renewable energy. Reply to this post if you want to learn more.
Emer Camaya says:
@Luckster – Thanks for the post. This is the empirical proof we’re looking for.
In theory, using the PSF, current goes down, therefore VA goes down (voltage is constant at 220rms), power factor goes up, wattage remains almost the same.
moonlightbill says:
hi, i am a german engineer and could’t believe this to be true. Anyway, i was curious and bought this yesterday at the SM but i was assured that i could return it and buy something else.
Okay, here is the measurements i did today.
I used a volt, watt and ampere meter and tested the device with both my aircon and computer station with all the other devices turned on.
The result is exactly what i expected. The power consumption is ecactly the same, however the ampere did go down a bit. What does this mean?
This means the electrical bill will be exactly the same. The device for sure is not real and worth nothing.
The sales trick in the mall was simple. They measured the ampere instead of the power consumption. Real devices that you use at home do have build in condensators to compensate the so called blind, reactive or wattless current.
This test also assured me that all those unbelieveable amazing products are absolutely worthless. Tomorrow i’ll go back to the SM and will return the divice.
Spend your money on San Miguel, Cheers.
donnie says:
i forgot to add, my bff haave this thing for a couple of years now, they have a daycare and 2 rooms with difrent families at a building with 4floors. she told me that they tried taking off the power saver for a month to see the difrence w the bills they had after theyve been using it, and she said that it really works. not that it takes off 50% of the bills they have but it does work, she said its like 30% something
Erick says:
I wanna buy one to try it!!! Is d brand of d power saver significant? where to buy a real psm aside from handyman?
I really wanna buy one coz my monthly bill ranges to 12k-15k monthly. That is about 1600kw to 2k kw monthly. Am using a 2.5(2750watts i guess) AC and a 13 units of desktops.electric fans, irons and d lightings.
Advise me what to buy pls!!! Thanks!
Luckster says:
@ Erick
As we have mentioned above this device (PSM) will not help you lower your electricity bill. There are other ways for you to do that. We can do an energy audit of your place and suggest you a better alternative to do it. Please send me an email leaf.energy.sys****@****.***.
Erick says:
I really wanna try it but need further studying b4 gettin’ one…coz my csin uses one and it works..its just that there’s no one selling it in here i guess..
Am locted in cagayan valley! is there anyone near to me selling new one? pm me.. 091527*****
@ luckster
Then what could we probably do to save e-bills aside from being practical. here’s my add. samilinfrede****@****.***!
@ moonlightbill
It didn’t really work at all?
My2Cents says:
Buying this for 1500 above is a total waste of money. These are just capacitors usually 4.7uF, and the LED serves as the discharge path once AC is removed. You can make your own for much less and instead of LEDs use a bleeder resistor connected to a normally close end of a relay to discharge the caps if no AC is present(relay is de-energized). But before going thru all this things, know that
1. all it does is to correct your power factor. nothing else.
2. True power is the one being billed and it doesn’t change with a poor or good PFC.
3. if you want to test, you also need to measure the PFC.
True power = Apparent power * PFC
= V * A * PFC
V is constant
If A decreases as the salesman shows, PFC increases
so NOTHING CHANGED!
And its good to know about the POWER TRIANGLE, check it out and you’ll see true power does not change by correcting the PFC.
Stephen H. Wong, REE says:
We are paying by the real power which is in watts, installing capacitor will improve the KVAR, and the KVA but never on the real power.
Stephen H. Wong, REE says:
Ampere goes down, but KW=V x I x cos theta, we have successfully decrease the current, but voltage and power factor increase therefore no change.
nonoy says:
its a toast in the electrical bout these power saver,,im too curious bout since im also an electrical engineer and so many friends asking me bout these device,,,it will be nice if the measurement taken is in wattmet not in current.
dongv says:
amazing if it can help lower hundreds pesos per month, electricity is too high these days, any update on effectivity of this baby? or its simply a gimmick?
marcelino cruz says:
how can i purchased this gadget when i am in catbalogan samar is there any outlet that i can buy this item if you have a net cafe with 11 units of pc and a i horse power of air conditioned how many units that i need to buy to save more of my money
Oliver Perater says:
good day, how could i purchase the product?
che says:
Hi Oliver… Still interested in Power Saver Max? Where are you? we can meet in Q.C. I recently bought that Aug.3, 2011 in Handyman. The price is 1,500. I immediately bought it coz they’re having a demo. Pls. let me know if ur interested. Thanks.
ivan says:
sa quiapo mas mura daw 1,000 php lng,di kaya peke un?o pareho lang?
Luckster says:
Hi All, Tulad ng sabi ko sa dating post hindi totoo na nakakabawas ito ng consumption sa kuryente. Para sa residential kwh yung singil ng distribution companies (like meralco) hindi considered yung power factor unlike sa industrial na me target yung mga companies and may multa from the distribution company kung hindi ito tama.
D Intervenor says:
Hello Luckster :)
You are RIGHT when you say that Meralco penalizes low power factor for commercial and industrial customers, but you are WRONG in saying that residential customers are not affected.
Power factor correction capacitors are SINGLE
PHASE Units connected in parallel to the line.
Since Capacitors are SINGLE PHASE UNITS…..
They do work in Single phase connections like residential houses and commercial establishments
Luckster says:
If you want to cut down electricity expenses, energy conservation and efficiency is the number 1 step.
1. Kill phantom loads (search the internet about this)
2. Buy energy efficient appliances particularly those that have high wattages and used often like refrigerator, washing machine, and air conditioners. Usually more expensive but will save you in the medium term. (I have a way to compute the ROI based on the EER, reply to this post if you are interested)
3. Change your life style. Turn off appliances and lights when not in use.
4. Convert to CFL or LED bulbs.
5. Improve your homes insulation and air flow. Invest on the right insulation.
6. etc.. etc..
jacelle says:
how to compute the ROI? saka anong procedure alam mo para bumaba naman electric bill ko.. masakit na sa ulo eh.. kakastress..:-)
yla says:
ayus.. buti mern kang ganitong post..kasi ang kulit ng mama ko mapilit bumili ng powersaver.. yung alok nga samin 7.5k..
marjune says:
Last year ng march at april.. my bill was 7000-8000… now from january to april,, my bill went down by 50-60%.. how..
dito lang kasi ako nag work sa bahay.. so what I did… change my computer from desktop to laptop.. always kasi sa taas ako nag work.. so pag araw dito na lang ako sa baba.. para di na ako mag aircon sa taas.. so thats it.. kasi desktop consume.. 250-350watts.. depende sa ginagawa.. yung 26″ ko na monitor.. tapos syempre minsan bukas pa yung tv sa taas.. so ngayon yung tv na lang sa baba.. :) change lifestyle or working condition.. para makatipid.. this april 2900 na lang kuryente ko.. last march 2400 :)
Luckster says:
@Marjune, good for you, you are on the right path. Totally agree na change of lifestyle ay malaking bagay sa pagbawas ng konsumo sa kuryente.
Porky says:
Wala bang paraan para hindi na mag bayad ng kuryente sa meralco? Halos hindi ko na kayang magbayad.. Wala ba dyan no pay power saver max? Kung meron please tell me kung saan makakabili.
nick dequina says:
simple po gawin para hinde mgbayad kuryente meralko eh JUMPER ang gawin,make it sure na hinde mahuli ng meralko pgnahuli gudluck sa carrier mo!!!!
porky says:
Napaka husay ng power saver max!!!!!
dalawang buwan palang gamit ang dati kong binabayaran na 5,000 sa kuryente, 100 nalang ngayon.
z1 says:
baka lately gumagamit kalang ng ilaw sa kuryente pag nghahanap ka ng posporo pansindi ng kandila!
ferdinand says:
kahit saan po toh ilagay pwede halimbawa nakalagay yung saksakkan ng computer doon sa una tapos naka lagay yung power saver doon sa huli dapat po ba una ang power saver ???? oh kahit saan basta nakalagay lang po ??
patrick liwanag says:
ive been using the power saver for 2 months.. di pa din bumababa ang electric bill…am giving it another 1 month..pag wala pa din isosoli ko nalang
poks03 says:
gumagamit po kmi ng power saver max..bakit wla naman difference sa binabayaran namin ganon pa din.. dati 3500-4000 bill namin bakit ngayon 4800 na almost 1year ko na gamit minsan ko lang bumaba bill namin nag 3800 ata nung december.kz di masyado gamit ng aircon.. pano ba magandang pagamit sa power saver to lower your electric bill?
qstorm says:
Maybe you’re frequently using the microwave, toaster, flat iron, or even electric range. Power saver won’t work on these appliances.
mountain dud says:
tira kayo probensya nang malaman nyo kung bakit maatas bill nyo sa kurente… hindi sa pagamit nyo ng appliances kundi sa scheme ng Meralco… maraming hidden charges na hindi mo naman DAPAT bayaran…. hehehe
Ishish says:
The power saver’s a complete Bullshit to your houses people! I have two friends of mine who also has their own stories of their own supposedly “power” savers. I live alone and before I decided to get one, normally my monthly electricity bill would be around 5-7k php. The first month I got mine, I tried minimizing the use of some appliances that would normally make my electricity bill grow higher and when mine came, low and behold my bill from a simple 5-7k became 11,425php. This device is complete bullshit. waste of money pa.
D Intervenor says:
It seems that you minimized on the usage of your inductive load, but maintained the usage of your
resistive load.
Power Saver Max WORKS on inductive load, that is the reason why your bill shot up.
Power Saver Max BOOST the consumption of resistive loads
bisnisman says:
guys,power saver is power corrector device,pag marami losses electricity m malaki savings m..
gee ladia musngi says:
How to use Power Saver
motowavez says:
punta ka nlng s mga certain mall n my tinda ng device..matagal n ung sakin eh..binili ko pa un s
farmers
jeje says:
dalawang bese na ko nagsauli ng power saver na to. Ang unang buwan ay nagreduce ng kaunti ang bill ng 10%, sumunod lumaki ng 30% kaya ipina-check ko sa brother ko na isang electrical engr. at advise nya ay isoli ko sa binilhan dahil hindi nagpa-function. After having a new one, later on the next month billing ay tumaas pa ng 20% ang aming electricity bill.
Recommend not to purchase this product.
dennis says:
i have power saver natural process
D Intervenor says:
I officially retired my ORIGINAL POWER SAVER MAX unit when I bought the 5KW unit. It still functions though reducing from .95 to .79 the current ampere reading at the Handyman at Gaisano Mall of Davao.
The original unit is a 3KW model which saw our electric bill go down by more than 50% from P5,800 to P 2,700, of course our inductive load then was the 1.25 HP aircon, refrigerator, electric fan (1),lighting load, with resistive loads comprising the rest.
Our total load now is 2 x .75 HP Aircon units, one 8 kg washing machine, refrigerator, and 3 units electric fan, for the inductive part. CFL Lighting for the lighting load, 2 shower heaters
1 desktop and two laptop units, one rice cooker and one electric kettle, three cellphones, and one unit power quality analyzer.
Our current consumption reaches 600 Kwhs when climate change unleashes its might, and goes down to 500 kwhs when the rains fall and the aircon units just undergone cleaning. :)
Compare that with our consumption of 750 – 900 kwhs per month when we were still one aircon unit three years ago.
marie macariola says:
gud day….totoo po ang energy sa
ver…dati binabayaran ko sa meralco bill 5k pataas…now almost 2800 to 3k nlang…
pogi says:
dti,3000 ngayon,sa sobrang galing ng power saver,wala na kaming binabayaran,sila pa ang nagbabayad samin!
Elsa Castro says:
I would like to know how to purchase this energy saver decvice Thank you.
melmar says:
i’ve been using power saver for almost a year me pumunta sa haus namin nataon malaki bill namin so sinubukan ko so far ok naman pati brother ko bumili din 7,500 bili namin kala ko nung una naloko kmi pero maganda naman pala bawi na investment ko.
dlacc says:
This device makes the people want to save BILL not ELECTRICITY. Oooh, i have this big a*s power saver now. My bill is lower now, so I’ll increase my energy use.
Yup, humans can be an idiot… most of the times.
Study the PHANTOM LOAD (not the metallica song)
Standby power comprises to upto 10% of our total consumption. (i.e, remote controlled appliances, etc.)
Common sense people, unplug unused appliances or, if you are a lazy b*astard plug your appliance into a power strip with switch(es).
Simply turn off the switch after using the appliances.
Mel says:
Igot myself a differentpower saver guarranteed to save me 50% of my bills it has a ten ampere rating and i used it in my ten unit internet cafe. Truly it worked according to promise. Five years after it got busted but i do not know where to buy it again. Its brand is “Power Ace” made somewhere in Caloocan. Any lead to where i can buy that plug-in device that has a 220 volt socket? It looks like a low profile AVR.
Kenneth del Rosario says:
I just passed by Handyman earlier today and they are selling this for P1,999. I was gonna buy one but decided to research online first. Well, with the amount of negative things I’ve read about it, I feel kind of good that I passed on buying it.
JC John Sese Cuneta says:
We have PowerSaver Extreme and our experiment was very positive. We saved 40% to 50% monthly. We recommended it to our relatives and friends and they reported the same with PowerSaver Extreme.
So yes, it works, however, I can not say the same for PowerSaver Max since again, we have the Extreme version.
Ronaldo R says:
Hi, i have an electrical engineer desined a gasget that could be able to reduduce you bill effectively using a costomized gadget that is very effective. My bill before is 4000, now 2500, and i can still lower it down depends on my needs…ask me..thank
rro****@****.***
Ariel Castillo says:
Sir, how much is the price of gadget device?
Carlos Cañanes says:
I’m interested your gadget in reducing my electric bill.
carlo says:
If it true, it is a really big help to the Pilipino people. It should be then produced at the cheaper price.