If I were you, I'd just offer your customers the whole house panel-mounted surge suppressor and forget the rest.

It is a 3 in one system. It saves money by using MOV's (metal oxide varistors) to store unused power that was paid for. It allows for power factor optimization.

It also acts as a surge protector and also cleans up the power eliminating noise.

I have installed one in my home and I have been saving on average about 25% on my electric bill. Formula 1 says to install a whole house surge protector and forget the rest. I say I don't want to forget the $50 that I save every month on my electric bill with the Powerworx E3.

They burn the extra power of voltage spikes, if it is in their range.

>>I have installed one in my home and
>>I have been saving on average about 25% on my electric bill.

These may be two correct statements, but it leaves a lot to the imagination to think the savings was due to the device. You may also have changed the circumstances in other ways.

I won't believe a significant savings from one of these gadgets until someone shows me actual data with a full accounting of what kind of loads were involved and assurance they did not change between measurements with and without the "efficiency device".

I would have to echo, MOVs do not store energy, they waste/dissipate the energy they trap, and most don't kick in until 400v or more. Surge protectors are a great idea but I am unconvinced these gismos work, I assume it's the same people/products, different names ;-)

If these gadgets DO work, I'll be willing to bet it's a fault in the meter, rather than any actual true energy savings....there is really no way these things could store energy. If they 'fool' the meter through some sort of feedback or something, eventually I expect the poco's will catch on.

I too, am sceptical, and I love gadgets, but mostly the ones that work.

MOVs do also have a finite life - after a time they need to be replaced, I can't remember if they fail open-circuit or they just cease to protect.

I have an old-fashioned Joselyn (sp?) brand spark gap "arrester" on my service entry, and another on the branch circuit feeding my largest TV etc. I think they cost about $15 when installed- and no doubt have saved that amount many times over.

While most of us here realize that residential power is billed in Kwh, not Kvar, "John D. Homeowner" is going to look at the reduced amp reading caused by an over-priced capacitor and plunk his $$$ on the table. Selling the things is like shooting fish in a barrel...

More information at http://www.SlowMyElectricMeter.com

How nice.

My explanation is not the clearest but this site does explain in detail:
http://www.the-power-factor-site.com
It is an EE site
In his Energy Savings Page he gives an example with the bottom line being�
'saving approximately $350 per year at 15 cents per kWH.
So.....Beware of spending large capital sums in the name of 'Energy Savings'.

My question is -as rates rise the ROI is shorter thus making it a useful tool in money saving.
I would much rather spend todays money to save tomorrows and the next days money.

I would say this may not be efficient for all homes...new homes with State of the Art energy star approved appliances. Small homes that have few motors in use. This is not a Cure All for all homes but a viable piece of equipment to help reduce your over all energy expenses.

Hmmm funny how modern motors have PFC circuits built in them and are used in Appliances that are energy star rated but energy star says it doesn't work. Go figure.

Some more responses to comments:

1.) 'Reactive power is a quantity that is normally only defined for alternating current (AC) electrical systems. Our U.S. interconnected grid is almost entirely an AC system where the voltages and currents alternate up and down 60 times per second (not necessarily at the same time). In that sense, these are pulsating quantities. Because of this, the power being transmitted down a single line also 'pulsates' - although it goes up and down 120 times per second rather than 60. This power goes up and down around some 'average' value - this average value is called the 'real' power and over time you pay for this in kilowatt-hours of energy. If this average value is zero, then all of the power being transmitted is called 'reactive' power. You would not normally be charged for using reactive power because you are consuming some energy half the time, and giving it all back the other half of the time - for a net use of zero. To distinguish reactive power from real power, we use the reactive power unit called 'VAR' - which stands for Volt-Ampere- Reactive. Voltage in an electrical system is analogous to pressure in a water system. Current in an electrical system is analogous to the flow of water in a water system.'

'Two extreme examples of the time relationship between voltage and current are found in inductors and capacitors. An inductor is a coil of wire that is used to make motors. A capacitor is made of parallel conductive plates separated by an insulating material. The electrical properties of these two devices are such that if they are both connected to the same AC voltage source, the inductor absorbs energy during the same 'half cycle' that the capacitor is giving energy. And similarly, the inductor produces energy during the same 'half cycle' that the capacitor absorbs energy. Neither of them absorbs any real power over one complete cycle. Thus, when a motor needs reactive power, it is not necessary to go all the way back to electric power generators on the transmission grid to get it. You can simply put a capacitor at the location of the motor and it will provide the VARs needed by the motor. This relieves the generator and all the lines between the generator and the motor of having to transmit those VARs. They are provided 'locally' by the capacitor. This means that with the capacitors installed, the current in the lines will be smaller than when the capacitors are not installed. This is a good thing because current in the lines causes heat and every line can only handle a limited amount of current. Since the line current is smaller when the capacitors are installed, the voltage drop along all the lines is also less, making it more likely that the motor will have a voltage closer to the desired value. When there are not enough VARs flowing locally to the loads, the generators must supply them remotely, causing unnecessarily large currents and a resulting drop in voltage everywhere along the path.'

-Peter W. Sauer, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2.) Yes the meter is in watts but ...reactive power is measured in a unit called Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR), rather than watts.

3.) mandated by building code? We can�t even get sprinkler systems mandated by code yet and they have been around for over a hundred years.

4.) The PC has been around since the late 1960s but didn't even get its name until 1981 and didn�t become a house hold name until late 80s early 90s.

5.)News Story
Power Supply features ITE and medical safety approvals.
July 22, 2008

The Tradesarc 150 and 200 are 230V single-phase power sources equipped with a power factor correction (PFC) circuit making it possible to use the full range of the machine on a 16A fuse.

The PFC also protects the machines against fluctuating mains voltage and makes them safer to use with a generator.
23 June 2008

State-owned power utility Eskom urged consumers to reduce their electricity usage by 10%...solutions being studied by Eskom may be more appropriate, possibly along with incentives to install power factor correction equipment.
July 4, 2008

'Energy box' aims to help conserve wasted electricity
June 16, 2008

Just wait a little longer you�ll see tax credit information soon enough.

6.) As for the snake oil sales Ed Kimmel of Continental Power Corporation (CPC) has been producing these unit for 15 years. I think in 15 years if they were a scam the FTC or some State AG would have shut him down by now even in their sea of red tape.

7.) Oh and I note I�ll be here for a while�..I just don�t hang out on the web all day, busy enough with other things

Respectfully Submitted
Austin Meadows

Residential power is NOT billed by power factor (like some large users) so saving the POCO money in line losses will NOT reduce your electric bill.

V-A power correction for residential customers is a SCAM and bonvine scatology.

I don�t have a powerwoRx in my home, but a friend of my does and he has been saving about 18 to 22% on his monthly bill. So for all you people out there saying that it doesn�t work you�re wrong. I will get copies of his bill before and after he installed powerwoRx and post it on here.

In the mean time I do have a link to a copy of someone�s bill before and after powerwoRx was installed for you all to look at that someone sent me. http://www.chippynews.com/meter.pdf

I will be getting a powerwoRx unit installed in my home next week. I am not only looking forward to the energy savings, but am excited about the surge protector. I also want to go green and help the environment. I found this (see below) on another site and thought I would share it with you all.

How Would This Help the Environment?

Installing the PowerwoRx e3 system in your home will reduce the need to produce electrical energy reducing the amount of coal and oil being burned to generate the electric energy, resulting in the reduction of environmentally harmful emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide.

If 500,000 homes across the country installed PowerwoRx e3 systems this would reduce the need to generate 17 megawatts of electricity: saving 42,250 tons of coal or 231,500 barrels of oil and reducing by 98,250 tons of carbon dioxide, 42,000 pounds of nitrous oxide and 221,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide of annual greenhouse emissions.

Sincerely,
Gregg Conner

I was just trying to help!!! I�m not telling people they should buy a powerworx unit all I�m saying is my friend loves his and that�s why I�m getting one. Besides the guy I will be buying it from will buy it back and pay me $100 if it doesn�t save me at least 10% per month. He said out of 87 powerwoRx he sold he only had to buy 1 back and it was only because the person was gone on vacation most of the year so didn�t see the savings.

Oh, and vacman_20008 you wanted to see copies of actual bills. I posted one for you in the link in my last post.

If the meter was faulty, you will be eligible for a substantial refund from the power company, since they will have been overcharging you for as long as you have been connected. Further, as the first person to prove decades of scientists, engineers and electricians wrong about simple AC theory, you will be eligible for much fame and fortune, not least from the company that peddles these magic boxes.

I say go for it, and don't forget to past back and gloat/eat crow when you get your result.

I must first correct stevefromohio from back in July. Steve said that the MOV's stored energy and that started some on of you down a wrong path. MOV's do not store energy.
According to the manufacturer's website(www.ecotrustenergy.com), The PowerwoRxe3 contains:
- 2 Electrolytic Capacitors
- 2 Harmonic Filters
- 2 MOV�fs for Surge/Spike protection

The pages go on to say, "PowerwoRx e3 provides energy savings by reducing the amount of power drawn from your utility with the use of specially designed harmonic resistant capacitors."

Please review the attached .pdf file for specs and FAQ's for this device. If you have difficulty accessing the link, go to www.ecotrustenergy.com, click on Warranty & Specs (at the top of the page), then click on "Download the Specifications PDF Document" under the specifications section.

After speaking with a couple of electricians that I am acquaintances with...both of which have not dome any research on the devices, but had reviewed the .pdf file...basically said that for whole house surge protection and noise filtration, this seems legitimate and probably worth purchasing, and the possibility of some energy savings seems to be possible and would be a bonus.

So, my question is this...

What is the true value of this product vs. the value placed on this product by energy costs and marketing? What are the guts of this thing really worth?

Thank you in advance to all who provide legitimate, focused responses that are valid and fact based.

By the way, it should be noted that it is extremely difficult to prove energy saving by comparing one mot=nth of this year to that same month of last year. There are many variables that need to be taken into consideration and some time and effort will be needed to accurately calculate the difference. So, if anyone has taken the time and "energy" to do so, I would be very interested in seeing your results.

First of all, I must note that I am a skeptic by nature. I do not feel strongly either way for this device. I learned of it through a friend who watches GreenTV and knows that I am the "researcher" in my neighborhood. I'm just sticking to my word and doing my due diligence.

Some questions...
1) Did you take the time to review the documentation that I had attached on my first thread? If not, then regardless of how qualified you are to respond, your answer is meaningless.

2) Just how qualified are you? What do you know about these capacitors and MOV's and things like micro farads? Please provide your credentials.

All I'm trying to do is get a sincere, honest and technically credible response. Can anyone out there provide me with that type of response?

I've come across many threads similar to this one and they all just wind up becoming sarcastic and misconstrued and simply, not relevant. Let's not have that happen here.

Thanks,
Chris

The claim that power factor is significant to residential billing is wrong. The meter measures true power and disregards reactive power. That invalidates most of the savings claims for residential users. We have yet to find any residential user who has documented that their power company charges them for poor power factor. Only large commercial users appear to be charged for power factor.

On page 8, the document makes this very argument. It notes that if all loads in the house are turned off, about 3-4 amps of current still flows in the wires to the device but the house meter will not turn. This is reactive power which circulates but is not "burned" and so does not register on the meter. The same behavior is why you don't pay for poor power factor on motors or other equipment in the home.

A motor with lagging power factor stores some energy during the AC cycle (in addition to what it burns) and returns it to the line at another time in the cycle. Power factor correction (the device's capacitor) trades this reactive power back and forth with the motor. The motor does not burn the reactive power any more than the correction capacitor does. If you don't have the capacitor, the reactive power trades back and forth between the motor and the power grid. It cancels out in the utility's meter.

There is a potential for a tiny savings in power costs by correcting power factor, in that lowering the reactive current lowers wire losses. Since wire losses are a very few percent of you total usage and you can save some small part of that very few percent, it is not very significant. And you only get a savings if you correct the power factor near the load (motor) that is causing it, not after it has run through the wiring to the main panel because it is in that wiring run that the small loss occurs.

The document says that the device uses a fixed capacitance to correct power factor. Thus even if you were paying for poor power factor, they admit the correction is only right for an "average" situation. The discussion about 105% power factor is nonsense. If you have either a leading or lagging condition, the power factor is less than 100% by definition.

There seems to be a disagreement in their statements that they use a 10 microfarad capacitor (I assume it is one 10 uF capacitor per hot leg.) and that 3-4 amps flow into the device with household loads off. The reactance of 10 uF at 60 Hz is 265 ohms. At 120 volts that is 0.45 amp. Are they claiming several amps due to noise coming in from the outside? Or are their numbers wrong? This is unclear.

My conclusion is that it may provide some protection from spikes, and some filtering of noise (but that is better done near the source and possibly at lower cost), but it cannot provide significant savings on the electric bill. Any claims of savings by comparing monthly bills probably ignores actual variations in what loads were turned on for how long each month.

Just a quick follow-up to your response....

I have two refrigerators
We wash and dry at least 6 loads of laundry per week
I have a dehumidifier running 24/7
We run our dishwaher at least twice per week
I have a well pump
I have two laptops and a desktop that are running 24/7
I have two zone heating and air conditioning in my two story house consisting of two Furnaces (forced hot air heat)and two air conditioning units.
I have an electric heat pump for my pool.

All of which are not energy star rated and used in excess.

Given that description, will this product save me anything?

Or, is there any product manufactured today that can?

Once again, thank you for your time.

The reason that some get tetchy in forums such as this is the posts from the scam merchants where, having had their pseudoscientific arguments thoroughly debunked, they resort to ad hominem attacks on the debunkers.

I too am an electrical engineering graduate, I have 25 years experience in telecoms, power electronics and power system design. My current role requires me to design power factor correction systems for large industrial plants, and this requires a solid understanding of power factor correction theory.

Yes, it's called a "Kill-A-Watt".

When it shows you just how much electricity your two fridges, dehumidifier, and three computers are using, you might just decide to make some small lifestyle changes that will save you significant amounts of electricity.

I was able to make changes (turn off the beer fridge, replace my home server with a much more power efficient model, put our home entertainment centers (but not the DVR) on power strips, etc) that save about 7 kWh per day.

Yes, we have to fit a little more in our only fridge and, yes, it takes an extra step to watch TV, but we are more than willing to put up with it to save over $400 a year (a 30% savings).

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

Another scam that's been revived is the 'phase controller' that supposedly saves electricity by making motors run more efficiently. Home show demonstrations with an electric motor show it's electricity usage dropping dramatically when the motor is plugged into the device rather than straight into the incoming power. These devices actually do work in the applications they are designed for...this has the unfortunate effect of helping the scammers (or to give them the benefit of the doubt, uneducated-in-electricity folk) sell these things. An industrial application that produces savings would be a big table saw in a woodworking shop that runs constantly. When it's not cutting wood, the motor is under no load and at that moment, a phase controller will save energy. The goal of electrical engineers is to make sure anything with a motor runs that motor at rated capacity at all times...that's the point a motor is most efficient. Their striving for this is what has made ACs and refrigerators much more efficient lately. The point here is motors in your home all run at rated load all the time. There is no 'off load' time like with the big table saw. A 'phase controller' saves nothing in this situation

If they really worked as advertised (which they don't) they would be required to be installed in every house in the country as soon as a law could be passed. Especially in California. Chances are, ones who are promoting the use of such items on this and other forums are probably also selling the product. Surprising? I think not.

Otherwise, why would APC be selling surge suppressors AND ups units? Your suppressor could do both!

I'm not an EE. I instinctively doubt these gizmos can do more than enrich the seller.

However, if the Amp reading on the house side of the meter goes down and the meter does not see a boost in Voltage from the service drop, then, based on the formula, P=IE, the meter should slow down. Seems pretty straight forward to me. If the Voltage (E) is constant and the Amperage (I) drops then the Watts (P) consumed must also drop. What am I missing? It seems that the only way for the electric meter to not slow down would be raising the service voltage.

Here's another question...if these are wired in parallel, how can they see and impact inductive loads on all branch circuits? I might feel better about device specific mounting like on a plant floor. This seems to say that if you rub a little garlic on your electric meter you can avoid vampire loss

That amps times volts is NOT power?

Power = amps x volts x power factor.
But the devices do not change the real power dissipated, and residential customers are NOT billed by power factor.

The kilowatt-hour meter on your house already takes the power factor into account and only bills for the real power used.
Changing the power factor will not alter the meter readings.
All the 'correction' does is reduce line losses, a very small amount.

Large power users ARE billed based on power factor.
Adjusting power factor does not reduce the real power they dissipate, but reduces the current the POCO must supply.

The POCO must supply total power and it costs them money to deal with poor power factor loads.
They are supplying current that is not billed.
Notice how UPS systems are rated in 'VARS'?
And that the watt rating is always lower than the VAR rating?
The UPS must supply both the real power dissipated and the reactive power that is moving around but performs no work.

Read your terms of conditions on this forum, you are not to use it to promote products or businesses, which clearly you are, from your uname/email.

First let me state I am not an electrician or an electrical engineer; however, I think the following test should be easy to perform and end this debate.

1. Remove all electric loads in house
2. I think electric meter should be stopped, so take a reading
3. Turn on a constant inductive load for a fixed duration
4. Turn off load and take reading at meter
5. Enable KVAR or whatever device is under consideration
6. repeat steps 1 - 4
7. Compare measurements

I am guessing that there may be variation in a load and I am not sure about the accuracy of the common electric meter; however, I would think that a longer duration would compensate if these are issues. Is there any reason this won't work?

If this is indeed a valid test, then the absence of these results from any of the proponents would seem to answer whether these devices have any value in a residence.

You SHOULD be sorry to keep this post alive!!!

However, it is clear that you are NOT sorry in the least. You flew in to this forum and registered before the sun came up this morning for the express purpose of exhuming this rotten corpse. You did not come here to participate legitimately in this forum; you came only to suck blood.

PLEASE LEAVE AND GO BACK TO YOUR COFFIN, WHERE YOU BELONG!!

Don't feed the vampire, folks. Let this thread moulder in the grave, where it belongs.

KVAR trolls are among the nastiest and most persistant. KVAR Spammer Syndrome is potentially contagious and cannot be cured. And don't fool yourself: garlic, wooden stakes and reasoned argument--even silver crosses--will not work.

The best treatment is to observe a strict quarantine.

Power condintioning system .Has more than these KVAR guys.Mainly designed for commerical to see savings.Any one

have any info on these guys.

Read the whole thread, re-read it. Read the tech specs for this other product. Figure it out.

Take a look at your government web sites that offer incentives for installing energy-efficient appliances? How many snake-oil power factor correcting et al devices do you see? None? Hmm. I suppose it could be a poco conspiracy - oh hang on, they give us grants to install energy-saving devices, so I guess it's not a conspiracy after all.

Why ask these good people to spoon-feed you? Do some of your own research. If the literature says it's power factor correction, then it's not going to do residential connections any good - you yourself are saying it's probably for commercial use only. Is that what you're proposing? Why not buy one, on the proviso of getting your money back if you don't see a saving over, say, two years?

Oh for goodness sake, I just looked those people up. Guess what they make?
PowerwoRx!! There's your answer. You'll get some surge suppression and filtering, don't expect any savings apart from protection of appliances.

Are you lazy, or do you work for them? Right up front it says they manufacture PowerwoRx. Are the answers in this discussion not clear enough?

I only have 2 things that have motors. My refrigerator and the blower motor for the heater. Most motors are
80% efficient and new ones are about 90-98% depending
on their design.

Put your kill-a-watt on the refrigerator and you'll see
the power factor. If it's .85 then you're wasting 15% of
what the total is. If the unit uses $300 / year you're
wasting $45.

The blower motor could be replaced, at Grainger, with
a new one that has a known power factor. They'll
tell you right up front as it's the latest in commercial
thinking to lower energy use.

The cost of a new quality low power factor motor might
be $300 at the most. It would pay for itself in 10 years
or so I'd guess. You can do the math. How many
watts (or hp) versus how long it's on per year = total power.

My Window AC has a power factor of 0.95 by the way at
any setting. According to the kill-a-watt.

The key word is READ THE THREAD you....err whatever.

Residential customers do not get charged for power factor error. We get to do it for free, and are not metered or charged for it. Large commercial customers do. Power factor correction might be good for the pocos however they do not expect us to do it. We will not get any financial benefit from correcting it.

Go away.

The power meter on your house is an amazing instrument. It actually integrates (calculus math) the product of instantaneous current and voltage which integrated over several cycles is (RMS current) x (RMS voltage) x PowerFactor. The PowerFactor (Pf) is unity when the curent and voltage are in phase. It is less than unity when the current either leads or lags the voltage.

Capacitive loads have leading currents and inductive loads have lagging currents. An exception is the synchronous motor. It may have either leading or lagging current by adjusting its field.

When the current is 90 deg out of phase with the voltage, the net power delivered is zero even though the line current may be large. This idealized mathematical case is rarely realized. Most practical installations have some power factor.

If not for the heat pump, I would likely not have the unit. I posted detailed results on the Tree Hugger Forums (Power factor Correction thread) for those interested in checking out the figures and the testing method.

I've seen many of the same arguments posted here and on a now closed KVAR thread on this site why it shouldn't work. However, my results show it does. Again, I can't say that for everybody becauswe every home and set of equipment is different. However...my appliances and heat pump were new when I bought the unit.

If you bought your appliances at the same time that you bought the unit, how can you be noticing a 10% reduction in your consumption? You wouldn't have anything to compare it against. You might want to change your "story" the next time you try to fool someone.

Anecdotal evidence does not trump science.

So, you've been in the house since March 2007, and got new appliances, heat pump and a KVAR in April 2008, at which time your electrical consumption went down 9 to 11%. I'm so dumb that I would have thought that new appliances = more efficient appliances, so the consumption would naturally go down.

And you accounted for seasonal HVAC variances how, exactly?

For specific test results, you'll need to check posts in the October 2008 period.

I've over a year of KWH figures and the results have been consistent. My heat pump is a single speed Trane Xl41i, so no variable speed to factor.

Enough other people say they have gotten similar results. I find that the detractors can't/won't believe something would actually work as advertised because it goes against what they expect to see. Sorry my results don't match the expectations. I'm not claiming 25-50% like some of the folk. I realized 9-11% and that's what the product literature said I could probably expect.

Caveat Emptor. Your mileage may vary. Mine was and is as expected.

I simply responded to the question earlier posted to share my results and a link to the forums where the results are posted. If you want/need more specifics, go to those threads. I think I am finished with this thread on this forum.

Thank you.

See my Clippings See my Journal See my trade list

I live in: United States

My birthday is on September 21.

First registered on August 9, 2009.

I was on the internet researching the PowerWorx e3 unit. We drove over to my folks place today after church and my dad told/showed me this unit he had bought from my uncle. Anyways, long story short, he's had it installed now for one complete billing cycle and his kwh usage was down 600 from last month. 2300+/- to 1750+/-.

We live in FL and have hot weather and high electric bills in the summer. We live in different towns and I have a bigger home and use roughly 2600kwh per month. My last bill was $400.

My home's bill/usage is always around the same esp. in the hot summer months of June/July/Aug. Just thought I would post some "hard numbers". If his usage is down again next month (and also we will be comparing to last years monthy bills), I'm gonna be seriously considering one of these untis.

I think they are roughly $500, but if work as seen here, will pay for itself in less than a year depending on how much your usage is. For me, roughly 6 months. I will try to remember to post a follow-up to this in a month.

I live in: United States

My birthday is on December 4.

First registered on August 10, 2009.

No ... I am not going to search for a single post on a different site that I've never been to before. Either provide a direct link to your data and methodology or provide a copy here.

I've also factored in HDD and CDD (heating degree days and cooling degree days) and temperature comparrisons.

The precision of a daily radiative budget summed up by the average of the high and low for a day allows for a non-trivial variance in direct comparison. For example, two 25 CDDs often require different amounts of energy consumption depending on a number of other variables not captured by the value.

'Based on NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index, the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand was 13.3 percent below average in July.'

So Ya MAYBE HIGH INRUSH MOTOR LOADS will benefit, but my fridge does not inrush enough for Snake Oil.

Especially when the MOV fails, on what side of the breaker is the MOV? What's the interrupting rating of this MOV?

Probably less than my meter, how about your's?

Yeah, where exactly, do we wire in this device?

Hmmmmmm.............

These units have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee so I figured "what the heck?" and bought them.

I have read reports from the skeptics saying these devices do not work and from the testimonials of users who say their electric bills were dramatically reduced. I figured the best and only way for me to decide whether these work was a controlled experiment, which I performed as follows:

I first turned off all of the breakers in my house except for one of my two A/C units and one of my two furnaces (for the blower motor). I then turned my thermostat up to 80 degrees and I checked my electric meter for 4 minutes to make sure that it did not move (which it did not) verifying that I had no electric load running.

I then turned my thermostat down to 60 degrees and used my stopwatch to time how long it took my electric meter to make 50 revolutions, which was 6 minutes and 30 seconds (390 seconds).

I then turned the thermostat back up and installed one of the 2401S units, removing the hard start capacitor (as per the written instructions). I then turned the thermostat back down to 60 degrees and used my stopwatch to time how long it took my meter to make 50 revolutions, which was now 6 minutes and 29 seconds (389 seconds, which was virtually the same as without the unit installed, but actually 1 second faster!).

I then turned the thermostat back up to 80 degrees and I removed the 2401S from my A/C, reinstalling the hard start capacitor. I turned the thermostat down to 60 degrees and again timed how long it took my electric meter to make 50 revolutions, which was now 6 minutes and 27 seconds (387 seconds).

So - my results were 390 seconds without the unit, 389 seconds with the unit, 387 seconds again without the unit. All trials were within 1% of each other which would be within a normal margin of error for no change, so I feel confident in saying that the 2401S made no difference in the metered electric usage.

All three trials were within a 40 minute period in the morning (10:00 am to 10:40 am) with the ambient air temperature virtually unchanged. My A/C is positioned so that it received no direct sun at any time during my experiment.

I did NOT measure the amp draw with or without the 2401S unit, since I was only concerned with saving money and my electric bill is based on the meter movement, not on the measured amp draw.

As a note of praise for www.energysavermart.com - the units seemed to be well built, the installation instructions were well written and easy to follow, and when I returned the units under the 30 day satisfaction guarantee my money was promptly refunded to my PayPal account with no problems or hassles. I was unable to check the internal wiring on the unit because it was sealed and opening it would have voided my warranty and voided my ability to exercise my 30 day satisfaction return.

In conclusion - do these devices save money on a residential electric meter? In my opinion - NO!!!! I admit that I did not test the KVAR brand though, but the principle of that device is the same.

To any of the KVAR dealers (or to the sellers of any other similar devices) out there - if you believe that your units do actually work, send me one and I will promptly install your device and do a controlled test to determine the electric meter usage both with and without the device installed. If your unit does not save electricity, I will return it to you (you pay postage). Furthermore, if I am able to measure even a 5% reduction in electric usage (which is far less than the claims on your devices) I WILL GLADLY PAY FULL LIST PRICE for the unit and allow my name, photograph, and results to be used for free in any advertising and testimonials for your product.

ANY TAKERS???