Energy Saving Devices

I used to sell Exide UPS systems 35 years ago for a short time. The kind with battery banks the size of a bedroom. One of the benefits beyond providing back/up power to run and/or shut down mainframe computers in an orderly fashion in event of outage, was to also clean up dirty power, but I never recall that reducing kwh consumption.

Where’s @RFMan . He’s knowlegable in the ways of the force.
 
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Present and accounted for!

When I looked at that link...yup, crappy power factor correction device. It basically has a capacitor inside. It could benefit the power company by reducing their transmission system losses, IF you have lots of motors or other inductive loads. But this is miniscule, and it does not affect your power bill in the slightest. Worst case...it catches fire :oops: All those glowing reviews...basically fake.

Here is a decent summary: http://electronicsbeliever.com/electricity-saving-box-scam-revealed/
 
No problem!

Just remember that phrase Heinlein used: TANSTAAFL :D
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"
 
Installing LED lights will save more energy then these plug in filters that are useless.
Installing setback thermostats also saves energy.
 
My new house I moved in two months ago is burning out LED lights left and right. Bet I have been through a half dozen in 60 days.
 
What are you using the LED bulbs in?

Are you using dimmers with those LED bulbs?

Dimmers need to be sourced and sized correctly with the LED light fixtures.
No dimmers. Installed by the electrician in ceiling and bathroom fixtures.
 
no recessed cans have been replaced yet. Just ceiling fixtures and bathroom vanity lights that were all speced by the lighting showroom and installed by the electrician. Just garden variety led bulbs. Satco I think. I bought some GE led bulbs for my table lamps and one of them already crapped out.
 
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No dimmers. Installed by the electrician in ceiling and bathroom fixtures.

What mfg? I ask because when started to change over to LED I picked up Lowes builder grade. Two years later all those are gone, burnt or some what dimmed. Since starting the 'switch' I've been buying GE Reveal LED (dimmable). None needed to be replaced, yet...
 
found this:

What are some possibilities for early burn out of an LED? Even with commercial grade LED bulbs, you will find some duds. Poor design with sub-optimal parts (particularly heat sink) can result in an LED bulb burning out. Despite it being pretty clear on the box when buying a bulb, end users often put LED lamps that are not rated for enclosed fixtures in an enclosed fixture. Nothing causes the premature failure of an LED bulb quite like excess heat. Even with an enclosed-rated LED bulb, pay close mind to the size of the fixture.

Other issues can arise within a fixture that have nothing to do with the LED bulb itself. The wiring could be shot and causing connectivity issues. Cheaper, residential-grade fixtures wear down over time. Sockets in particular can become an issue if the LED bulb cannot connect properly. This results in irregular build-up of heat, and then the driver burns out and the lamp is not functional.
 
I worked for Sylvania the first decade of my career. I still like the 100 year old technology of bulbs for residential applications. I expect my power bill for lighting is the smallest household bill I receive. Even with the juice to run my airhandlers it is a small bill relatively speaking. Kwh costs in the northeast or west coast might make me feel differently about that.
 
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Using LED bulbs upside down also heats them up and shortens their life unless they are designed for that. The heat just rises right though the other components.


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So many LED are out of China, quality varies, I sell them all the time at home depot, we get a few duds and replace them under warranty.
I used to use 9" fluorescent bulbs in all table lamps until the cost to replace them approached $10 ea. then moved to CFL and now all LED.
I have some CREE bulbs that did not last a year and were replaced no questions asked.
My home has low energy usage vs others in my area according to my Duke analysis I get monthly, I do have gas heat, oven, water heater and dryer.
I run a small UPS 24/7 for my fiber optic gateway so I have phone service if we have brief power outage.
 
no recessed cans have been replaced yet. Just ceiling fixtures and bathroom vanity lights that were all speced by the lighting showroom and installed by the electrician. Just garden variety led bulbs. Satco I think. I bought some GE led bulbs for my table lamps and one of them already crapped out.


Same experience, cheap led' or expensive ones, they just dont last.

The rough service bulb I dropped a dozen times in the garage lasted longer.
 
Granted, this is for filament-based lamps instead of LEDs, but...interesting reading nonetheless, about companies engineering (on purpose) a bulb to burn out sooner than it could...so they could sell more.

It's not a conspiracy if it really happened, and has facts to back it up.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/dawn-of-electronics/the-great-lightbulb-conspiracy

Change 'light bulb' to any other device. Companies realized that they can't survive if they don't sell replacements. They engineer products to last twice as long as the warranty.
 
I had a $6mm territory for Sylvania in SC, and that was in 1981 dollars. Lamps are big business.
 
Installing LED lights will save more energy then these plug in filters that are useless.
Installing setback thermostats also saves energy.
Not really a good idea with heat pumps. (unless you can lock out the heat strips).
 
I bought the LED bulbs that Duke Energy sells on their site and have not had any of them burn out. Got them when they first started selling them and ran them on sale.
 
Change 'light bulb' to any other device. Companies realized that they can't survive if they don't sell replacements. They engineer products to last twice as long as the warranty.
And any other time. What I thought was interesting about this article was, they talked about entries in engineering notebooks...from the twenties.
 
I worked as senior engineer for a large international software company with facilities all over the globe. A snake oil salesman would somehow get thru to my phone at least once a month. My stock ? was what kind of components were inside, do you have a UL or CSA label and is there a guaranteed cost savings over what time period. I never had a single peddler answer my ?'s. It was always, "thats proprietary information, listing is pending, no warranty or energy savings guarantee but thousands of satisfied customers". Basic thermo dynamics and physics...you cant get something for nothing. The biggest energy hogs in a house are lighting and hvac. THe power companys give away led lighting or provide for deep discounts. If changing out an HVAC system, buy the highest SEER or EER rating you can afford.
 
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