Is this a scam?

[The Iceman]

A couple years ago I posted a question about energy controller boxes that I had been seeing on electrical panels. The manufacturer?s claim that they reduce consumption by using patented power factor optimization. I was unable to figure out how these boxes actually saved costumers money on their electric bills and after reviewing some of your replies I realized why. I recently came across another company that is making similar claims of saving money on your electric bills and I still can?t figure out how. The web site is ConservingEnergyNow.com. Can anybody help me understand how this device could actually save costumers money on their electric bills? Or is this a scam too?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I have heard these can save energy in certain large building with lots of motors but I don't believe it will do anything any place else. But I'll let the experts have at it.

 

[Joethemechanic]

patented power factor optimization

I got some magic beans I'll give you a deal on too

:rotflmao:

 

[realolman]

at least the thing ain't in a handi box.

 

[jumper]

Scam, residential does not pay for PF correction.

 

[The Iceman]

This new company is claiming they can save commercial businesses money on their electric costs by ?using the wasted energy lost through the ground?. Even if they meant the Neutral, I still don?t see that even being possible.

 

[haskindm]

SCAM, SCAM, SCAM. If you have "energy lost to ground" you have bigger problems than can be solved by a box with a couple of capacitors in it!
Here is the kicker "balances and reduces amp loads on the panel". This is easy to do, put in a capacitor and the voltage will increase slightly and the amperage will reduce slightly. They show you the reduction of amperage on a meter and say "see reduced amps will result in lower electric bills"! It all sounds good until you realize that we don't pay for amps, we pay for watts. If they show you where they lower the watts used in the circuit, they may have something, but so far every one of these scam atrists only want to talk about amps.

 

[gar]

120124-2019 EST

Iceman:

With all that has been said in the past you should be able to immediately identify claims like this to be a scam for residential customers. For industrial users there will be better sources for power factor correction. Sources that can clearly describe how power factor works in clear English.

The web site appears to be written by someone whose first language is not English. Also the person is not an engineer, and probably knows little about electrical theory. Basically the author of the web site is ignorant in the electrical field.

.

 

[Besoeker]

And this:

Energy previously lost to ground is captured and recycled back through system reducing energy costs.

I was tempted to write "you couldn't make this up".
Except that somebody did.

Con artists are nothing new I guess.
But you'd think, with improving education, we ought to be better at spotting them.

 

[Joethemechanic]

But you'd think, with improving education, we ought to be better at spotting them.

Improving education? You Brits get improving education?

Here they base all grades on how well you play with others. What's a STEM subject? Who's John Galt?

 

[realolman]

120124-2019 EST

Iceman:

With all that has been said in the past you should be able to immediately identify claims like this to be a scam for residential customers. For industrial users there will be better sources for power factor correction. Sources that can clearly describe how power factor works in clear English.

The web site appears to be written by someone whose first language is not English. Also the person is not an engineer, and probably knows little about electrical theory. Basically the author of the web site is ignorant in the electrical field.

.

I'm not disputing your point ... I think you are right... but re: your second paragraph being written by someone who's first language is not english and who knows nothing about the subject matter of the web site.... .... I think that would apply to most web sites.

 

[gar]

120125-1611 EST

realolman:

True.

But items like this sentence
"Models available for all building, build specifically to your electrical system."
are immediate red flags indicating a foreign author. However, many other statements do not have this characteristic.

But technically the whole site is goofy.

.

 

[realolman]

No argument. You're right.

 

[Besoeker]

I'm not disputing your point ... I think you are right... but re: your second paragraph being written by someone who's first language is not english and who knows nothing about the subject matter of the web site.... .... I think that would apply to most web sites.

Interestingly, or otherwise, there was a phone-in programme on the radio here a few days ago about the English (and I mean English rather than British) being taught a second language. Most Europeans are and, most commonly, that is English. There was more than one caller who suggested that it would be a good idea for many here to learn to speak their own language correctly.

Sadly, I think that there's more than a grain of truth in that.

 

[Besoeker]

Improving education? You Brits get improving education?

Fair point. Perhaps I should have said improving access to education.
And access to huge amounts of information on line.
So much that you'd think magic, too good to be true, gadgets like this would or should immediately arouse suspicion.

 

[Joethemechanic]

Fair point. Perhaps I should have said improving access to education.
And access to huge amounts of information on line.
So much that you'd think magic, too good to be true, gadgets like this would or should immediately arouse suspicion.

It's so bad here that most men are not capable of changing a flat tyre, or jump starting a battery

It seems that schools frown on any subject that involves absolutes.

But who the hay is John Galt anyway????

 

[K8MHZ]

It's so bad here that most men are not capable of changing a flat tyre, or jump starting a battery

It seems that schools frown on any subject that involves absolutes.

But who the hay is John Galt anyway????

Wasn't he a character in the book 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand?

I didn't google it to be sure, but I used to live with a girl that was into Ayn Rand and she talked about John Galt all the time.

 

[Joethemechanic]

Wasn't he a character in the book 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand?

I didn't google it to be sure, but I used to live with a girl that was into Ayn Rand and she talked about John Galt all the time.

Yeah, he was an engineer (and hero) in her book Atlas Shrugged

The book explores a dystopian United States where many of society's most productive citizens refuse to be exploited by increasing taxation and government regulations and disappear. They are led by John Galt. Galt describes the strike as "stopping the motor of the world" by withdrawing the minds that drive society's growth and productivity. In their efforts, these people "of the mind" hope to demonstrate that a world in which the individual is not free to create is doomed, that civilization cannot exist where every person is a slave to society and government, and that the destruction of the profit motive leads to the collapse of society. The protagonist, Dagny Taggart, sees society collapse around her as the government increasingly asserts control over all industry.

 

[K8MHZ]

Yeah, he was an engineer (and hero) in her book Atlas Shrugged

I'm surprised I remembered that. We broke up in 1987. I never read the book, I don't read fiction. I just have a decent memory, I guess.

 

[Joethemechanic]

I'm surprised I remembered that. We broke up in 1987. I never read the book, I don't read fiction. I just have a decent memory, I guess.

In the book, "Who's John Galt" was what people would say when the best of the engineering minds would come up with a solution to a problem. The masses would instead chose to follow what ever some committee or government entintity would propose. And of course it would end up being a failure.

In the end of the book as the last plane load of "people of the mind" takes off out of Metro NYC, the power grid fails