![\"Power](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/power-saver-scam-1.jpg\")
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Online ads continue to pop up on Australian screens spruiking various magic products promising to slash electricity bills by “up to 90%”. All the devices and products of this nature I’ve seen are power saver scams.<\/p>\n
For starters, the party or parties behind the campaigns don’t use accurate images in the ads. In one instance, the image used definitely won’t work as it’s a basic electromagnet. But after seeing the ad eleventy-bazillion times, I clicked to see what they were actually peddling.<\/p>\n
The “real” device is one of the many versions of so-called power savers that are heavily promoted from time to time. They keep popping up as people keep buying them. These devices aren’t cheap given what they are – in one case costing around $75 a throw, and throwing it is what you’ll end up doing with one.<\/p>\n
It could be the worst $75 you’ve ever spent as there have been some instances of these sorts of devices overheating and catching fire.<\/p>\n
The “power savers” have been marketed under a bunch of names. Unfortunately in this incarnation thrust in front of Australian eyeballs, the device was given the same name as a legitimate electrical supplies company in Australia. That poor company, which had absolutely nothing to do with the scam, copped a virtual earful in online reviews.<\/p>\n
Assuming it’s like other devices of this nature, it’s just a plug containing an LED, small circuit board and capacitor; basically an ineffective power factor correction capacitor. This doesn’t reduce the real (aka active\/true) electrical power consumed by households and electricity retailers generally only charge households for their use of real electrical power.<\/p>\n
This entertaining video goes into greater detail on what the devices are and why they don’t work. Kids (and adults), don’t try anything this fellow does at home in the way he does it. He seems to have a fetish for getting zapped – but it is worth watching just for that.<\/p>\n