How Do Energy-Saving Devices Work? [Complete Guide]

If your power needs are similar to a typical American household, you likely spend about 2 to 3 percent of your annual income on electricity bills. That translates into approximately $122 a month, depending on the electricity rates in your area. It’s not a measly sum, that’s for sure.

But brace yourself. The amount you allot for your electric bill can go higher, what with the never-ending spikes in energy prices. No wonder then that a device called an electricity power saver had caught the attention of electricity consumers looking for ways to reduce their energy costs.   

But will using an energy power saver really help scale down your expenditures on electricity? Some consumers claim that installing an electricity-saving box didn’t lead to energy savings and that their energy bills remained as high as ever. Meanwhile, others who opted to use a power saver consider the device a technological marvel. 

So is the electricity-saving box a boon, a bane, or something in between? Let’s talk about electrical power savers to help you decide whether using one is a smart way to reduce your electric bill.    

What Is an Electrical Power Saver Device?

An electrical power saver, otherwise called an electricity-saving box, is a device designed to improve your home’s energy efficiency. This, in turn, leads to savings on your electricity bills. 

The energy-saving box is compact and light enough to carry anywhere you go. It’s also easy to use and can be installed into any electrical socket to help curb your home’s power usage. 

How Does it Work?

The primary function of an electricity-saving box is to lower energy consumption, leading to a downtrend in your energy bills. The device connects to a power socket and cuts down your appliances’ energy wastage by making them use the electricity they draw from the grid more efficiently. By minimizing energy loss, the power saver curbs your energy usage, which can lead to energy savings ranging between 25 and 40 percent, or so the manufacturers claim.

But how does using this device positively affect your energy costs? Well, the electricity that goes into a home is prone to fluctuations. Power surges are common occurrences, which waste the electric power coming from the circuit as the surges are instrumental in turning the electrical energy into heat. This hikes your electricity consumption and hence, your energy bill.

The power saver stores the electricity instead of letting it flow directly into your electrical appliances and then discharges it minus the spikes. The device also removes carbon from the circuit, thus producing a more stable and smoother flow of electricity. As a result of the smooth current, a higher proportion of that electricity can be used to power the appliances instead of getting dissipated as heat. 

There are different kinds of loads in a typical home. Let’s study how a power saver works on them to save energy and hence, lower your energy bill. 

Inductive Loads

Loads are locations on an electrical circuit where electricity is drawn away. Basically, loads are devices, electronics, or equipment that consume electricity. They come in different categories, depending on how they absorb and process energy. 

Inductive loads usually require a coil or other routing system to store or channel energy. These loads intrinsically store electrical energy until it’s needed. When there’s a demand for that electrical power, they convert it to magnetic energy using a series of magnetic fields.  

Examples of electrical equipment that are considered conductive loads include electric motors, transformers, and electromechanical relays. Meanwhile, electrical appliances with inductive loads include refrigerators, air conditioners, electric fans, and vacuum cleaners, to name a few.  

Inductive loads commonly experience power surges when they’re turned off. As such, they need protection because the force of the power can damage the equipment.     

Resistive Loads

While inductive loads transform electrical energy into magnetic energy, resistive loads convert electrical energy into heat. Currents passing through conductors create resistance, which, in turn, produces heat and places a corresponding electrical load on the power source. 

These are the simplest types of loads as they only consume active energy, and the power flows only from source to load, and not vice versa. Resistive loads often only have conductive wires to produce heat upon the application of electricity. 

The most common examples of resistive loads are incandescent bulbs, heating irons, and electric kettles. Since these electrical devices produce heat, an electricity-saving box supposedly works by efficiently using electrical power to produce heat. Because the electric devices perform the same amount of work for less energy, this can lead to lower electricity consumption.    

Where Can You Use it?

Due to their universality and ease of installation, power savers have plenty of applications. In fact, you can use the devices in varied settings, be it commercial or residential. They’re particularly useful in the following conditions. 

Business workplaces

Commercial power users typically have higher electricity consumption than their residential counterparts. Because energy costs account for a significant portion of the operating expenses of business owners, using a power saver can help put a dent in their burgeoning electricity bills. This makes the electricity-saving box an excellent tool for reducing expenses. The drop in their electrical bill can help lower overhead costs and increase profits. 

Hotels, motels, restaurants, shops, and stores are areas where an electricity-saving box might be beneficial.  

States with high electricity rates

Some areas in the country have higher power rates than others. Those who live in states like California, Vermont, New York, and Hawaii might find a greater need to save electricity owing to their hefty electricity expenses. In this regard, installing a power saver can help them see a drop in their energy consumption and electric bills. 

Residences

With the average energy usage of an average American home standing at 893 kWh and electricity prices in the country ranging between 10 and 30 cents per kWh, using a power saver can shave off several centavos from your electricity expenses each month. The savings may not be much, but in time, the amount can add up. 

How Much Can You Actually Save?

The electricity-saving box has been in the market for over a decade. Through the years, technological innovations have improved the effectiveness of the device. Manufacturers claim that an energy saver can reduce consumption by 25 to 40 percent for older models. Newer and more efficient ones can boost your energy-saving goals with 80 to 90 percent effectiveness. 

Still, several factors depend on how much the device can shave off your home’s energy usage. We’ll discuss each of them to give you a clear idea of what to look for if you plan to invest in one. 

• Your home’s energy consumption: Homes with higher power users tend to have greater power loss. So if your electrical devices have high wattages or if you operate them for extended periods, an electricity-saving box can help reduce electricity bills. 
• The brand and model of your electricity-saving box: Power-saving devices aren’t created equal. Like other appliances and electronics, the brand and model of the energy saver matters. In general, high-end models are more effective in helping you dampen your kWh consumption. 
• The amount of inductive load consumed in your home: Power-saving devices work more effectively in reducing energy wastage coming from inductive loads, such as refrigerators, pumps, and electric fans. So if the greater proportion of your home’s power consumption comes from inductive loads, an electricity-saving box can be a valuable tool for saving money. 
• Other energy-saving controls you employ in your place: Do you already have existing power loss control measures in your home? If you do, the effect of an electricity-saving device on your net energy usage will be less noticeable. 
• The amount of resistive losses due to poor electrical wiring: Poorly designed or outdated electrical wiring leads to significant resistive losses. Power-saving devices effectively reduce the current in the wiring. That means they also help limit the resistive losses, thus saving you energy and money. 

Benefits & Drawbacks of an Energy Saver Device

Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of an energy saver is a wise move if you plan to purchase one for your home. This will help you determine if it will indeed save you electricity and money. 

The Benefits

Is the amount you put down for an electricity-saving box worth it? Here’s what the device provides. 

Surge protection

The electricity coming from the grid is unstable in nature. It frequently fluctuates, causing drops and spikes in the electricity powering your appliances and equipment. The power surges can damage these appliances and equipment, impacting their lifespan.  

Installing an energy saver device acts as a filter and makes the electricity flow in smoother way, thus limiting the potential damage caused by sudden electrical surges. 

Money saver

With the constant hikes in electricity prices, every kWh you shave off your consumption will positively affect your power bill. An electricity-saving box minimizes power losses by smoothing out fluctuations in the electric power coming from the grid, thereby providing a more stable current supply. This helps curb your energy usage. 

The Drawbacks

Power savers also come with flaws that make them unappealing to some power consumers. Here are some of those drawbacks. 

They’re not smart power-saving devices

This flaw is due more to false manufacturer claims than a product fault. Some manufacturers market these electricity-saving devices as “smart” equipment. The truth is, the devices are composed chiefly of capacitors and don’t have any integrated smart chip to support the assertion that they’re intelligent power-saving tools.    

They’re only effective on inductive loads

Resistive loads are electronics that directly convert the electricity from the grid into useful output and, as a result, have a power factor of 1. Meanwhile, inductive loads are equipment and appliances that create a magnetic field and have a power factor lower than 1. As such, there’s a phase difference between voltage and current in inductive loads, resulting in power losses. 

Electricity-saving devices are only effective in reducing the electrical energy requirement of your inductive loads while having little or almost no effect on the resistive loads of your home. So if you have more resistive than inductive loads, the device will hardly reduce electricity bills.  

Tips on How to Reduce Your Electric Bill

You don’t have to rely only on an electricity-saving device to lower your home’s power consumption. Other ways to reduce electricity bills exist, and employing any or all of them will help put a dent in your power expenses. Here are some tips. 

• Shut down all appliances that are not in use: Pull the plug off the socket to ensure they don’t consume even minimal amounts of electric power and contribute to your home’s phantom load. 
• Turn off unnecessary lights: Although modern lighting solutions consume little electricity, every kWh counts and will hike your energy costs. 
• Ditch your desktop computer. A laptop consumes less electricity than a desktop model.  
• Fix leaky faucets: It’s not just water you waste from leaky faucets. Remember, keeping your water hot requires electricity.  
• Use LED lights: LED bulbs use less power than other lighting solutions. Less power usage means less money spent on electricity. 

Top Electricity Power Saver Device in the Market

If an electricity-saving box will make financial sense for you, the next step is to determine which among the different brands and models will fit your needs. Here are the popular power savers you can choose from to reduce electricity bills.

Anmyox Energy Saver

Price range: $4.63 – $14.99

Product Features: 

• Easy to use 
• Has a wide range of applications (air conditioners, refrigerators, induction cookers) 
• Safe and reliable 

ES Power Saver Device

Price range: $6.02 – $18.99 

Product Features: 

• Can help save electric power resources by up to 30% percent 
• Prevents electrical overheating
• Suitable for many applications (air conditioners, refrigerators, pumps, lamps, and other products)

Winvin Power Save

Price range: $2.55 – $11.99 

Product Features: 

• Stand current waveform protects devices 
• Sleek design with LED light operation indicators 
• Maintenance-free and earth-friendly 

Power Save Electricity Saving Box

Price range: $2.20 – $11.99 

Product Features: 

• Simple to use 
• Suitable for refrigerators, air conditioners, televisions, washing machines, electric fans 
• Environmentally-friendly 

EU Energy Saver

Price range: $6.02 – $18.99 

Product Features: 

• Can help save electric power resources by up to 40% percent 
• The external shell is made with fire-proof and explosion-proof material 
• Suitable for many applications (air conditioners, refrigerators, pumps, lamps, and other products) 

Sumerlly Energy Saver 80KW 

Price range: $14.39 – $26.94 

Product Features: 

• Can help save between 30 to 50 percent on energy consumption 
• Maintenance-free and easy to use 
• With LED indicator  

FAQs

What is the Best Power saver?

What can be considered the best power saver is the one that fits your needs to. In this regard, you’ll need to look at the different factors that affect the specifications of an energy-saver device to determine if it’s in line with your requirements.  

Does the Energy Saver really work on Air Conditioner?

Because an air conditioning unit is considered an inductive load, an energy saver device will work to protect the appliance. It does so by minimizing power fluctuations that may cause damage to the unit. Electricity-saving devices are also more effective in reducing power wastage coming from inductive loads so using one on your AC could be beneficial for you. 

What Can I Buy to Save Energy?

You have a wide array of choices when it comes to products that help you save energy, and an energy saver device is just one of them. Other purchases that can boost your power-saving goals include Energy Star-rated appliances, smart thermostats, electricity consumption monitors, and energy-efficient light bulbs.  

What Can I Unplug to Save Electricity?

You can start your power conservation efforts by unplugging all appliances that are not in use. Most modern electronics continue to consume electricity even when they’re turned off. Pull their plugs off the socket to ensure that your devices aren’t contributing to your home’s phantom or vampire load. Otherwise, get a smart power strip that automatically turns off electronics that aren’t in use. 

Conclusion

So does an electricity power saver work? It does in many instances. But it may not be enough to tone down your energy usage to your expected level, and they’re not for everyone. The benefits you get from purchasing one will depend on some factors we mentioned. Review your home’s power needs, type of loads, and usage level to determine if using a power saver device will be to your advantage. 

Updated on 11-30-22