O.T. home power conditioning save $$ ?

[Dekonick]

I ask this here because the community has a wealth of knowledge, and I know y'all want me to save $$ so I can give to Haiti, and still be able to buy a new Serotta... if I ever get tired of my Hors (guess it may be awhile for a new bike! - it will just have to be a nice new 1" fork from Serotta to go on the Hors!)

I digress...

So - will a home power conditioning system save $$, make me green, save my electronics, or am I wasting my time and 'energy' researching this...

[Dekonick]

The more I read about it, the more like snake oil it appears. Product is the ecopower4.

Was hopeful... not anymore. Bummer.

[mandasol]

It seems a power monitor like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-EM100B-Energy-Monitor/dp/B001ELJKLE) would be more useful in managing your power usage. Haven't used it, but was considering trying it out. It would be neat to see in real time what the effect of turning off your computer has on your energy footprint. Or to see if those expensive fluorescent bulbs are as energy efficient as they claim.

I've used power conditioners for business applications to safeguard some really expensive electronics, though couldn't really tell you if they saved on energy consumption.

[Bytesiz]

There may be some very minor efficiencies gained by cleaning up the since wave as the web site suggests, but typically you consume more energy cleaning it up than you would ever save.

At quick look at the device tells me it will do nothing for you. How is it supposed to condition the power without it being in line with the load is beyond me.

[RPS]

Best way I've found to save is to not use as much. And I didn't even have to invest anything to stop using more. :beer:

For what it's worth, during Christmas I had this same conversation with a Florida Power and Light electrical engineer and another family member asking this same question. His reply was that the best way to save is to reduce waste. I happen to agree.

[Karin Kirk]

Just as a cycling computer or power meter can help you train more efficiently and purposefully, a home energy usage monitor can do the same thing. Studies have shown that homeowners that have a readout of their energy use end up trimming 15% off their energy usage just because the awareness of what's using a lot of energy causes a shift in behavior.

There is a simple, cheap device called a Kill-a-Watt that you plug into the wall and then plug your device into it and see what the power draw is. If you take that all around your house you will undoubtedly learn some interesting things. For me, I realized my computer in standby mode uses less energy than I thought (2 watts, YMMV), but our toaster draws 9 watts just sitting there prettily on the countertop. Our new LED Christmas lights draw 6 watts, the old kind use 60 watts. Etc.

There are many interesting and worthwhile things to learn by actually measuring energy use. I was able to knock 5% off our overall carbon footprint by measuring the phantom load of various appliances and putting in power strips that we turn off at night.

The Black and Decker monitor linked above looks interesting. If we didn't already have the Kill-a-Watt, I'd consider getting that one.

[RPS]

Product is the ecopower4.
The You Tube video is interesting because it shows a significant reduction in current. However, one must be careful to interpret what it really means under the circumstances of the test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlGEp_1mO8A

[RPS]

At quick look at the device tells me it will do nothing for you. How is it supposed to condition the power without it being in line with the load is beyond me.
It could be a play on words because the unit may be wired in parallel, hence not technically “in line”.

[RPS]

There is a simple, cheap device called a Kill-a-Watt that you plug into the wall and then plug your device into it and see what the power draw is.
I agree power meters (although not what was asked in the OP) can be a very good idea. For large users wired directly without plugs, amp clamp meters can be used to estimate power consumption (assuming one is knowledgeable and very safe around 220 volts). In my home the air conditioner is by far the greatest user based on power consumption between summer and winter, and it is wired directly.

For something like a large AC one can also estimate the power usage by isolating the unit and timing the power meter. One can also get a rough estimate from the manufacturer’s nameplate but that can vary significantly based on weather conditions.