EnergySmart Power Planner

balee123
balee123 Solar Expert Posts: 86 ✭✭
Hello everyone,

Any one have any experience with these devices? Do they have any real world energy savings application?


http://www.energycsi.com/energysmart/pp120.html

http://www.energycsi.com/energysmart/es008.html



I have a 10A version with receptacle on right side instead of cords.

Guess I could do a comparison with my Kill-A-Watt meter, but thought I'd ask first.

Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: EnergySmart Power Planner

    From the link: "Reduces the power consumption of unmatched motor systems"

    Sounds like a plug-n-play PF correction capacitor. If that is the case it won't save you a dime.
    The diagram is too small for me to see, but I think I see the word "triac" in it. A certain bell rings; one of familiarity. I recall a similar device touted which claimed to make necessary adjustments to perform this "matching" automatically.

    Now, does anyone on the forum with a functioning hippocampus recall what the conclusion was? Possibly "money for nothing"?

    It certainly isn't the same as a K-A-W. That does not provide power management or protection; it gives you real numbers to work from. What you do with those numbers is up to you. But remember the utility doesn't charge residents for non-PF corrected power.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: EnergySmart Power Planner

    If you have a unit and a Kill-a-Watt meter--Why not try it?

    I believe that, at best, you may see a reduction in power factor for induction motors that do not have a power factor correction capacitor (i.e., motors with PV of less than 0.95%--probably in the range of 0.67)--But there is not really enough information to be sure what it does or contains.

    I would not suggest running this on a MSW inverter. And it is debatable if you will see any "useful" advantage on a TSW inverter.

    -Bill

    Here is an older thred (probably the one Marc was thinking of) about a "similar" (but different?) product:

    What is a Power Chopper, and can it help my solar power pack?


    -BB
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: EnergySmart Power Planner

    That's the one, Bill!

    I am constantly amazed at your ability to find these old threads on just a clue.
    But then I am also constantly amazed if I can find my socks when they're on my feet. :p
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: EnergySmart Power Planner

    My secret.... Type "energy save triac site:wind-sun.com" into Google--Second link on my search results (I used Adblock Plus and Firefox to block the paid results).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: EnergySmart Power Planner
    BB. wrote: »
    Here is an older thred (probably the one Marc was thinking of) about a "similar" (but different?) product:

    What is a Power Chopper, and can it help my solar power pack?


    -BB

    That looks like the same thing, based on trying to read the tiny block diagram.

    It is not exactly a power factor corrector, but if it does what the patent describes, it senses when the motor is running at a low power factor (no load or small load) and uses the triac to do a phase delayed turn on of each half cycle to effectively reduce the voltage applied to the motor until there is just enough power going in to keep the motor spinning. That has the effect of reducing the measured power factor, although the current waveform will be nasty in terms of neutral loads, harmonics and other things often associated with low power factor.

    The VA going into the motor is reduced, and possibly to the extent that there are resistive losses inside the idling motor, the true power consumption may be reduced.

    As Bill stated, any phase-sensitive PF sensor and any phase-switched triac circuit will likely behave unpredictably but badly when exposed to a Modified Square Wave.
    When working from PSW, it probably will not hurt the motor, but when working from MSW, I would not be so confident about that.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.