Does a TVSS device save a company money?

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Does a TVSS device save a company money?

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C

Curious Contractor

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A company called xxxxxx promotes a 20-30% savings in electricity bills if their device is installed on each panel. I have called XXXXX and XXXXX Inc and they both say absolutely not. Any comments or experience is greatly appreciated.
 
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I answered "no" because of what I believe to be the intended nature of the claim, and thus of the question. That said, if the device prevents damage in the event of a voltage problem, then it will be able to save money in that way. But not in the electric bill.
 
StephenSDH said:
It is actually 40% of your KW usage.
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Would you mind backing up this statement with a bit of Physics? A TVSS can clamp the maximum voltage of a given cycle, if it happens to exceed the preset limit. How would this impact KW usage?
:confused:
 
First TVSS actually uses power as they draw a small amount of load current, which I have never heard of a claim that they can save power (are you sure we are talking about TVSS?)

For all the other snake oil out there, mostly cap banks that they try to claim saves you power, but the power that they claim it saves you is not even billed for in residential, and even if it was (PF) most houses don't have enough motor loads to even collect much for it, and even if this was industrial you wouldn't want the cap banks at the service, although they do use them there, the most efficient place is at each load sized for the load.

do a search on here (if it will work for you) on snake oil, and you will pull up allot of threads on the subject.
 
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charlie b said:
Would you mind backing up this statement with a bit of Physics? A TVSS can clamp the maximum voltage of a given cycle, if it happens to exceed the preset limit. How would this impact KW usage?
:confused:
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Yeah I can't do that, but I can give you a limited time 40% off. :) Should have put a smile after it so you could catch the sarcasm.
 
ptonsparky said:
Why I voted maybe (voted first then read question), but you would have had to be suffering a lot of equip damage.
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We got a call from a truss manufacturing company that lost a couple of modules in its automated saw machine from an apparent surge. They cost over a couple thousand dollars each.

How much damage do you need to sustain before installing some decent TVSS units in the main service panels?
 
kbsparky said:
We got a call from a truss manufacturing company that lost a couple of modules in its automated saw machine from an apparent surge. They cost over a couple thousand dollars each.

How much damage do you need to sustain before installing some decent TVSS units in the main service panels?
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the issue @ hand is whether TVSS devices save money on power bills, not questioning their ability to protect equipment.
 
brantmacga said:
the issue @ hand is whether TVSS devices save money on power bills, not questioning their ability to protect equipment.
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The title of this tread asks if a TVSS saves a company money. It does, when it prevents equipment damage. The company may not know it, since they don't have to spend $$$ repairing equipment that is still working.

The poll asked if the TVSS saves on your electric bill. My reply to that is no, in most cases.

There are power factor correction devices being marketed out there that may offer some electric bill savings if the power company charges for low power factor usage. Mainly for large industrial users of electric power. They have to be properly sized to have any measurable effect.

The installation of such devices may have TVSS as a side effect, however.
 
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