Ever-increasing energy prices, government threats to limit energy consumption per person, insufficient Soviet legacy energy capacity, and a host of other reasons make us think about saving. But which way to go? How in Europe - to walk around the house in a down jacket and with a flashlight?
There are many other ways that will not limit comfort and will not cause inconvenience. We will not allow even more money to be taken from us (for connecting additional capacities to the house). Let's go through the main criteria for energy consumption (both thermal and electrical) and see how you can save resources using energy-saving devices.
Heating and hot water supply
Water heating, as well as space heating (especially in winter) is the most energy-intensive consumption criterion. It would seem that here you can save money, because no one has yet been able to break the laws of physics, and sooner or later any energy turns into heat. You can improve thermal insulation (which, of course, should be done) or lower the temperature (so heat loss will be less), but what if there is nowhere to improve and you don’t want to huddle under a blanket, freezing?
There are several real ways to save a lot.
Tricky option
Recently in England they invented the simplest, but nevertheless effective energy-saving devices. The principle of their operation is elementary - it turns off the heating for 20 minutes several times a day. According to research, no one at home has time to notice or freeze in such a short time, and after turning on the temperature returns to normal. Naturally, using such a device, you get less heat, but you also pay the same amount less.
Of course, this method will be effective only if there are meters for the received heat, otherwise its use is pointless. Yes, and using an energy-saving device, the price of which depends on your requirements and starts from 300 rubles, in the northern regions you can hardly avoid inconvenience. In addition, this is such a kind of compromise, and not a cardinal way to solve the problem.
Heating with heat pumps
No one is surprised by the air conditioner. In summer, it gives such a welcome coolness. But where does the heat removed by them go? That's right - to the street, so there are special radiators with fans. What does this have to do with heating, because the task is quite the opposite? Everything is simple. The air conditioner is a heat pump. And where to get heat from if (when heating with electricity) 100% of the energy in any case goes into it, and, for example, 150% cannot be in principle? Let's take it off the street using other energy-saving devices - heat pumps. Or from underground. In the ground (at a shallow depth) in winter and summer the temperature is the same - about +5 degrees. If you dig a sufficient amount of pipe to the desired depth and fill it with coolant, then a large amount of heat can be pumped out of the ground. In Germany, this method has already gained quite a lot of popularity among owners of private houses.
The heat pump is the so-called air conditioner in reverse. It happens that more modern technologies are used - peltier elements. They eliminate the sealed system with expensive compressed gas, are much more compact, but still very expensive.
Savings from a heat pump
The savings resulting from this method of heating (which, by the way, no one bothers to use for hot water supply) is 1 to 3. Having spent 1 kW of electricity, we will pump 2 kW of heat into the room and the same 1 kW spent on the operation of the thermal pump, will also be in the room. Total, spending 1 kW, we get 3 kW. Given the high cost, it will not pay off immediately, but after all, such a system is put in place for many years, and over time, the savings will come out solid.
The method described above is applicable to your own home. Is it possible to do something similar for an apartment, because no one will allow you to bury pipes in the yard just like that, but would you like to use energy-saving devices?
There is another way. True, it is suitable for not very cold climatic zones. It's just that ordinary air is used as a coolant, which is blown by the wind outside the window. But the effect of it will be (when using the principle of air conditioning) only when the temperature outside the window is above -7 degrees. Or you will have to use expensive peltier elements that can afford a slightly larger temperature difference.
True, with the "air" method there is a drawback. small enough that it needs to be pumped through a heatsink, a fan is required. And the presence of a fan is noise, the neighbors may be against it. On the other hand, they use air conditioners with a similar device ...
Lighting
There is room for savings in lighting. Especially if such energy-saving devices for the home as typical incandescent lamps are used for it. No violation of the laws of nature is required here. It's just about 10% for an incandescent lamp. That is, the lamp, consuming 100%, shines by 10%, and the remaining 90% goes into heat, which means nowhere. And you still have to pay for it. But there are many types of much more economical devices. Let's talk about some of them.
Fluorescent lamps
Since ancient times, many static energy-saving devices have been operating in factories and offices to save on lighting, such as fluorescent lamps, which, as a rule, are long luminous tubes.
This type of lamp allows you to save on two criteria - energy and the cost of replacing the devices themselves. The electrical efficiency is quite impressive - they are three times more energy efficient than incandescent lamps. Such a product shines like a 100 W incandescent lamp, and consumes electricity by about 30 W. In addition, they are much more durable. If an incandescent lamp works for about 1000 hours, then a fluorescent lamp works for about 8000 hours.
But they also have significant drawbacks. Reviews of energy-saving devices of this type are contradictory. Firstly, they contain mercury, which means that they cannot be broken and simply thrown into the trash. Waste lamps must be taken to specialized places. Secondly, they do not burn with an even constant light, they blink very often (with a network frequency of 50 times per second), which can affect vision. Thirdly, they require for their work the presence of special lamps that cannot boast of a variety of designs. A lamp for such a lamp will not be easy to choose in such a way that it fits into the interior.
Compact fluorescent lamps
This is a development of traditional fluorescent lamps. The electronics that controls their work is enclosed directly in the base. The base itself has become similar to incandescent lamps. In addition, the glass bulb is thinner and curled to take up less space. And the electronic unit, built-in, we recall, in the lamp itself, eliminates the noticeable blinking of such. Now flashes occur 30-40 thousand times per second, which is completely invisible to the eye. The power consumption and durability characteristics have not changed much, therefore, these are still the same popular energy-saving devices for the home as before.
But the problem of recycling has not gone away. They still contain mercury, they cannot be broken and must be taken to special points. Which in many ways, except for some danger, determines the inconvenience of use.
LED lightening
To date, perhaps the most effective do-it-yourself thing that everyone can do is a device that provides LED lighting. The efficiency of such lamps is close to 100% - lighting similar to 100 W in an incandescent lamp is provided by a 7 W LED lamp. They are very compact. As a rule, ribbons are collected from them or lamps (including spotlights) are assembled. There are a wide variety of versions of both lamps and directly fixtures based on LEDs. For the designer, there is absolute expanse here - the presence of both standard devices and an unimaginable number of rare types of products unties their hands.
Very high durability (more than 25 thousand hours of continuous operation - almost three years) allows you to make them non-removable. They are devoid of the shortcomings of fluorescent lamps - they burn constantly without blinking. They do not contain mercury. They do not require a special lamp (excluding design delights), they are much more compact than any other types of lamps. In addition, they come in any glow color, thanks to which you can not only switch the brightness of the light, but also the color (colder tones are suitable for work, and warmer ones for relaxation).
Their main drawback today is the cost. But due to mass production and market saturation, it seems that the price will drop significantly in the near future.
Designs based on natural light
In distant warm, but poor countries, where most people have only heard about electricity, there are ways to illuminate rooms without the energy of electric current. Natural street light is used. Nothing prevents us from using it, if you need to illuminate the room only during the daytime.
Like all ingenious, this method is the simplest. A light-conducting and light-scattering device is mounted in the ceiling and roof of the room. In the case of poor countries, this is an ordinary bottle. We can also use a special design of an aesthetic appearance.
Among the advantages of this method, there are two main ones - the absolute absence of electricity consumption and endless durability.
But the disadvantages are no less significant - this option will be used only if there is fresh air above the ceiling of the room, and not neighbors. And when the sun does not shine, there is also zero sense from it.
Appliances
A significant share of energy consumption is taken up by various household appliances. By choosing the right one, you can also significantly reduce the use of a single house. For example, the energy-saving device Energy Saver allows you to significantly save energy. In this case, you just need to plug it into the outlet.
If you have an old TV with a very voluminous (by today's) body, there is a good reason to upgrade it, since a modern flat device will not only show better, but also consume much less. Also, a laptop instead of a desktop computer will save hundreds of watts of consumption. In addition, there is an opportunity to save a lot by purchasing an energy-saving device "Economych". Various appliances in the kitchen (refrigerators, dishwashers, multicookers, etc.), and household appliances in general (washing machine, vacuum cleaner, etc.) must be purchased with an energy class "A" or, even better, "A +" . This approach can add many more saved kilowatt-hours.
Conclusion
We have considered only devices that consume energy. But there are also those that produce it - solar panels, wind turbines, etc. There is also a Power Saver - an energy-saving device that can significantly reduce energy consumption in an apartment. If both approaches are combined, then it is quite possible to completely disconnect from external (paid) energy sources, which will give high autonomy (no one will turn off the light, etc.) and unprecedented savings. But this is already beyond the scope of this review.
In recent years, many are trying to save on utility bills. People install meters in the hope that they will have to pay less. Some show savings in everyday life.
A device called “statistical converter” appeared on the Internet not so long ago. Manufacturers advertise it as an energy-saving device. They say that thanks to the installation, it is possible to reduce the meter readings from 30% to 40%.
Energy saving device
It is believed that the unique technology is able to stabilize the power efficiency in the network, eliminate power surges. This leads to a longer service life of electrical appliances.
The principle of operation of the device is as follows: parallel to the current current, the network is switched on. Inductive currents will oscillate between the converter and the windings, and not go between the load and the transformer. Alternating current passes power to the equipment, and reactive current goes where it is needed at a certain moment. Due to the transformation of reactive power into active power, the indicator of the latter increases.
Believe in a miracle or understand the device?
The prospect of paying less, of course, is of interest to many. But I want to figure out whether the device actually works wonders.
Even the description “intelligent technology” raises doubts. It immediately becomes clear that advertisers have worked hard on the project. The compensation is indeed happening. But how much does it save money?
With one of the devices, it was decided to conduct experiments. Below is an analysis of one of them.
Experiments and measurements
The energy-saving device is called Electricity Saving Box. In China, the device is very cheap. But for Russia, enterprising businessmen sell it much more expensively. Both this and other similar devices have similar characteristics:
- voltage - from 90 to 250 V;
- network frequency - from 50 to 60 Hz.
For the experiment, a wattmeter and several electrical devices were used that will create the necessary load. Instead of a wattmeter, you can use any. For the load, an incandescent lamp and a convection heater were used.
Readings were taken with the instrument turned on and off.
In the off state, measurements showed an active power of 1944 watts.
The included Saving Box energy-saving device showed the same 1944 watts at the output. It follows from this that the savings did not work out.
Another experiment can be carried out: the wattmeter is installed on the power cable. The vacuum cleaner is plugged into the outlet and the active power consumption is measured without an energy-saving device, and then the readings are recorded. The expert conducting the experiment noted the following results:
- active power - 1053 W;
- power factor - 0.97;
- voltage - 221.3 V;
- total current - 4.899 A.
After that, with the device turned on, the same measurements were repeated. Happened:
- active power - 1053 W;
- power factor - 0.99;
- voltage - 221.8 V;
- total current - 4.791 A.
It can be seen how the value of the total current has decreased. However, at the same time, the power factor increased by 0.2, and it can be seen that the active current remained at the same level.
Electrical diagram of the device
If you disassemble this “unique” technology, you will find a picture that is completely unexpected for such a serious device:
- fuse FU;
- 4.7 uF capacitor;
- diode bridge for voltage rectification;
- varistor.
The capacitor is compensating. The same is mounted in choke fixtures to increase power. Nothing original.
Experts explain that the Electricity energy-saving device is an unregulated compensating type device with a power of up to 78.5 VAr. It is easy to come to this value on your own. It is enough to divide the mains voltage, taken in a square, by the reactive capacitor resistance. The value obtained is strikingly different from the declared 15,000 watts. Passport data is indicated in watts, apparently so that buyers do not understand anything.
A simple publicity stunt
“How is that,” many people will be surprised. After all, they saw with their own eyes in promotional videos how readings really changed when the devices were turned on. In the advertisement, an electric motor was connected and readings were taken without installing the device. Then the same was carried out with the device turned on. And the measurements showed completely different results!
However, this is nothing more than a trick, and it is explained very simply, as the experts say. The fact is that measurements are made in the usual way. But this way you can get the value of the total current in the network, which, of course, is different.
But to calculate the active current, the value of the total current is multiplied by the load factor. Then the results will show a different value: the total current indicator changes, and the active current indicator remains at the same level. This proves the real measurement of active power using a wattmeter. And this, of course, is not done in promotional videos.
Accounting for active and reactive power
Individual meters take into account active power.
Energy-saving devices must reduce the reactive part of the current by connecting a compensating capacitor. But even if they perform their functions, this does not reduce the cost of payment, since household meters, in principle, are only able to take into account the consumption of active energy. Therefore, people who bought the device say that they do not observe any positive effect.
When it comes to industrial production, energy-saving technology can come in handy. After all, the counters here take into account both parts of the power: both active and reactive. Therefore, if the cost of electricity reaches a significant level, then capacitor banks help to reduce losses. Such devices still work today, reducing the reactive power. But these are completely different devices that have nothing to do with the proposed product.
So it turns out that manufacturers are misleading buyers by selling a useless energy-saving device. Reviews with positive ratings today are found on the network less and less. Apparently, the number of people who understand exactly how advertising calculations are made is increasing.
Good day everyone, I decided to write a small article. About the new action of distributing the people! These are devices for saving Electra energy, called Power Saver in Russia, the price for these toys starts from 1000 rubles and reaches 20,000 TR, abroad the price starts from $ 3-300. And so what is the principle of work. This toy, or as it is called, the device is placed near the meter at the entrance, swing close to it, based on the shortest length of the wire from the meter to the consumer. And allegedly this toy should reduce the consumption of Electra energy from 10% - you will not believe up to 50%. And with this divorce, these devices for fabulous money can be offered everywhere!
Just out of curiosity, I bought this Power Energy Saver Electricity Save up to 35% EU 18KW,HOT! Free Shipping! . And lo and behold, after weeks of waiting, I have it in my arms along with a brand new watt meter. I could not shoot a video, so that I gave this toy to the village to confirm my fears. Which eventually proved to be true! At home, the test went like this
test time 1 hour / 150W halogen lamp / 1000W breeze heater / 2000W breeze heater / 3000W oil heater / computer no load 250-300W
Halogen lamp 130 watts - with a toy 131 watts (when warming up, the lamp consumes less power, but consumes about 150 watts when starting)
Breeze heater 1000 watts - 890 watts - with toy 870 watts - (same situation)
Heater breeze 2000 watts -1790 watts - with a toy 1790 watts
Oil heater heater 3000 watts - 2800 watts - with a toy 2700 watts (probably cooled badly)
Computer 220-300 watts - 280 watts - with toy 275 watts
With a long test of about 2 weeks, the difference was about +\- 5%, with such a small error, the device can be said with certainty that it does not work!
The scheme of the device is so simple that the most expensive of these devices is a plastic case!
Please be vigilant and do not waste money on such Know Hows that can be spent from 1 cake to 20 cakes :) It's better to sweeten life for yourself than for someone else's wallet!
Oh yes, there is a container in the case, into which 2 thin wires enter, which, if desired, cannot either reduce the power by 35% from 18 kW! The container is filled with epoxy black, the circuit consists of 2 capacitors, one electrolyte connected through a diode, the second non-electrolyte connected through a resistance, and a resistance.
And moreover, this is at best like mine, another person just had 2 wires filled with epoxy and everything after the break was nothing but resin there was not a single detail 🙂 maybe resin is the material that saves electricity ?!
There were a lot of working systems in the days of the USSR, for example, stabilizers that really supported the voltage! There were also all kinds of network filters that smoothed out ripples from our networks. Schemes can be found in various sources. But there is not a word about savings, it’s just that these are devices that remove incoming interference and impulses, giving out a clean signal from the input from the shield. And devices, especially digital ones, transfer a pure signal without any problems into the desired signal at the output, while consuming the same power, and not in jumps! which leads to energy savings of up to 15%.
Yes, and I will add for information. We live in the information age, where electricity becomes more expensive every year, and appliances consume less and less, and people pay more and more! How is this possible, you ask!?! It’s very simple, there are jammers that are installed at substations, either dead or counterfeit, I’m not sure that someone is watching, They are installed after a step-down transformer if they are not working or they are not installed at all to reduce the cost of the network, this leads to strong voltage surges from the minimum to max input voltage. They play the role of a smoothing filter, they also remove ripples in the network, which supposedly Power Saver also removes. But there the unit weighs from 300-1600 kg, and here it is 100 gr. simply funny!
In connection with the rapidly growing cost of electrical energy, the question of its saving comes to the fore. Cunning entrepreneurs did not fail to take advantage of this. Not very long ago, devices appeared on the market that supposedly allow you to save almost 50% of electricity at home.
You just need to plug them into a power outlet. These devices have different names - SmartBox, Powersave, Energy Saver, Economic, etc. Using the example of one of them (more specifically Smart-Boy), we will figure out whether it meets the declared qualities and whether it is possible to assemble such a device with your own hands.
The advertised ability of devices to save electricity
The manufacturers of the Smart-Boy claim that it is a unique device that:
- allows you to compensate for reactive power in the power grid;
- performs noise filtering;
- protects the electrical network from phase imbalance, as well as from lightning strikes.
The simplest version of this device is designed for a load power of 15 kW for a single-phase network. But there is also a version of the device for three-phase networks with load power up to 48 kW.
The most shocking declared property of the device is its ability to convert the reactive component of power into an active one, which is counted by the meter in the houses. This feature would be indispensable for large industrial enterprises.
The cost of this device ranges from 20 to 80 dollars, which is incomparably lower than the cost of bulky devices such as capacitor banks, stabilizers for equalizing phase voltages, harmonic filters, etc.
However, before praising the manufacturers, let's check what the Smart-Boy device actually consists of and whether it allows you to carry out all the declared functions.
Internal diagram of Smart-Boy device
Not a single commercial for energy-saving appliances shows photos of their insides. However, this is not surprising, because the composition of the Smart-Boy is rather poor. The most luxurious part of it is the case with two LEDs on the front. Inside are:
- fixed strong electronic board;
- diode bridge;
- film capacitor;
- power supply for LEDs.
The cost of components of this device is unlikely to exceed $ 4. Its scheme is so primitive that it can be assembled with your own hands. But everything would be fine if this circuit worked as the manufacturer claims.
The internal circuit of the device How the Smart-Boy works
Before disassembling the operation of an electricity saving device, let's dive into the theory a little. So, the total power consumed by consumers consists of active as well as reactive components.
Active power is useful, it is what the meter in our houses and apartments counts, and we pay money for it. Reactive power is useless (it is not counted by the meter), it creates interference and reduces the efficiency of the entire power system. We don't pay for it.
And large industries (plants, factories) pay for it, since it is they who, having a lot of equipment with a huge inductive component, create it, additionally loading the electrical network. A special meter installed at enterprises reads the reactive component of power.
To reduce the production of reactive power, complex and bulky devices called reactive power compensators (RPCs) are used. These KRM are initially designed for a certain load, which on an industrial scale is relatively constant.
Reactive power compensators Energy savers, if they are able to save something, then with an initially defined constant load. But in reality, this load cannot be calculated.
Now many devices (for example, computer power supplies) are initially equipped with reactive power compensators, which can really save up to 10% of electricity.
But in these cases, the values \u200b\u200bof the inductor, capacitance and other iron are carefully calculated beforehand. This leads to successful savings.
In Smart-Boy, the film capacitor has too little power to be able to compensate for the current consumption of large electrical appliances (boilers, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.).
The insides of the device The given capacitance of the film capacitor is only suitable for lamps, a phone charger and other small things. In addition, the process of charging the film capacitor occurs by high-frequency pulses. A conventional meter and an electronic meter have a low sensitivity to current passing through high frequencies.
The energy consumption going through the pulses, the home meter will still take into account, even if it has a large negative error. From this it follows that with the help of Smart-Boy it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve electricity savings, rather the opposite.
Converting reactive power to active power in Smart-Boy
In electrical engineering, the very possibility of converting reactive power into active power is rather illusory.
There is no theoretical or practical data for such a transformation.
Dealers that sell energy saving devices do not have a technical description of this feature. Therefore, whether to accept this statement on faith or not, remains with consumers.
How to make a similar device with your own hands
From all of the above, we can conclude that the advertised electricity savers do not save anything, but the experiments show that with the help of such products it is possible to reduce interference in home electrical wiring and effectively protect it from thunderstorms.
However, buying such a product at such an inflated price is not justified.
It is safer and better to do it yourself.
To do this, you will need the following components:
- a small chip as the main element;
- film capacitor;
- power rectifier;
- plastic case;
- screw;
- 2 LEDs;
- button;
- a power supply that plugs into an outlet.
It is worth noting that when assembling any electrical circuit with your own hands, you need to be extremely careful. You can not use a metal case even for such a small product.
How can you save energy anyway?
Whether or not to purchase the above products is your choice. However, to really save electricity with your own hands, you just need to use less household electrical appliances. No one is talking about a complete rejection of them.
But making sure that the light turns off where it is not needed at the moment, turning off devices connected to the outlet unnecessarily and electronics when we are not using it are quite real things.
And you will immediately notice that with the conscientious observance of such simple rules, the electricity meter will show a smaller increase in values than before.
One of the most pressing and acute issues facing the citizens of Russia is the issue of raising utility tariffs, among which the constant increase in electricity prices is no exception. To solve the question of how to save money, how to “freely” use an extra kilowatt and at the same time not pay for it, it makes you grab at literally any straw that can help with this.
One of these devices designed to save energy is considered to be an energy-saving device submitted to the Russian market by Intelliworks, however, there are other devices with similar functions, for example, SmartBoySP001, SP-002, Power Saver, etc. What is it?
The principle of operation of an energy-saving device
The Intelliworks energy-saving device and other similar devices are connected to the AC network in parallel with the load, to the outlet located after the electric energy meter, but it is desirable to do this as close as possible to the point of entry into the apartment so that there is a real possibility for the device to detect the entire electrical load.
The inductive current produces oscillatory movements between the windings with inductive resistance and the static converter. With the help of devices for adjusting and measuring the current load in the network, active power goes to the network, and in turn, the reactive load moves to that part of the network where it is needed. There is an increase and stabilization of the power factor, it becomes equal to 1.
What is the device made of?
Before testing, an action was taken to open the SmartBoySP001 device , in order to find out what components it consists of.
Parallel to the electrical plug, a 5 μF capacitor is connected through the fuse, designed for an operating voltage of 450 V. The capacitor is the main component of the device, in the circuit it is numbered C3, a discharge resistor R1 and a YVR varistor are connected in parallel to it. Capacitor C2 performs a limiting function for the diode bridge D1 - D4. C1 serves as a power filter capacitor, a limiting resistor R2 is installed in the LED power circuit.
Instrument testing
For testing, it is desirable to use the Circutor power quality analyzer of the AR.5 series. Also for testing, current clamps and a multimeter for measuring voltage are used.
The SmartBoySP001 energy-saving device is connected to the network, the load in the network should be no more than 50 kW. The device is turned on every half an hour, measurements made by AP5 every 30 seconds did not show any significant changes. Achieving the main savings, when using this energy-saving device, is planned due to reactive power compensation. With a decrease in the inflow of reactive power from the network, there is a decrease in active energy losses for the transmission of this reactive power through the network and, accordingly, active electricity is saved. Measurements of electricity in the network showed that the power factor in the room is 0.96. That is, there is practically nothing to compensate in the living quarters.
Detailed consideration of the experiment when using an energy-saving device
Experience 1. All household appliances are turned off in the room and the voltage is measured - 223 V. The device is turned on in the nearest outlet, the voltage is measured again, and its increase by 2 V is fixed.
Experience 2. Without a connected device, the burner of an electric hob with a power of 2 kW is turned on, the current clamp measures the load, it is equal to 8.92 A. The inclusion of the device in the network did not change.
Experiment 3. When the washing machine is turned on, when using the “spin” mode, an inductive load is used, the current in the circuit is measured at 3.12 A, connecting an energy-saving device to the network gives a load change of up to 1.65 A. The meter disk rotates at a constant speed , this suggests that no energy savings occur.
