How Can We Save Electricity Drawing?

Has anyone have, recommend the "Power-Save 1200™!" - suppose to save electricity and reduce your bill?

• I called my electric company and they have no idea about this product. The Power-Save 1200™ was designed with the homeowner in mind, providing lower energy bills, increased motor and appliance life, as well as surge and lightning protection for all of the equipment inside of your house. Residential customers throughout the United States and Canada see a realized savings of 8% - 10% minimum and as much as 25% on their electrical usage (and thus power bills). All Power-Save products are backed by a warranty for surge and lighting

• Answer:

  If you read the fine print, the device is basically an electronic version of a switched capacitor bank - the kind used by large industrial concerns to balance their inductive load. In a typical residence, the 'inductive loads' would be fan motors (either heating/cooling fans or stand-alone fans), the compressor motors associated with refrigerators and freezers, and the motors used to power the washer and/or dryer as they rotate. All the rest of the electrical loads in a residence are resistive ... which means there's no savings with the PowerSaver. If your air conditioner or furnace fan is cycling continuously, or you do several loads of laundry per day, or your fridge/freezer compressors are working overtime, then you might get some benefit from the device. If your major appliances are ALREADY EnergyStar compliant (there'd be a little symbol indicating power usage on them somewhere, and how they stack up against the industry 'norms' for that product), there's little benefit either. You'd more than make up the same savings on your electrical bill by: - not running the laundry units during peak hours (6-9 AM and 4-7 PM). - set your furnace to around 68-70 F in the winter, and air conditioner to 77-80 F in the summer. - turn your water heater temperature down to 120 F. - don't run the dishwasher during peak hours. - get your appliances tuned up (or replaced with modern EnergyStar compliant ones).