Anybody using a Voltage Optimiser ?

I'm always looking for ways to reduce my energy bills and would be interested to hear if anybody is currently using, or has any experience of using, a voltage optimiser in their home.

We in the UK typically have incoming voltage of 216V to 253V to our homes and most of our equipment is designed to work between 207V and 253V. Critically the optimum and most efficient supply voltage for these appliances is 220V, anything exceeding that is generated as waste in heat or vibration.

Basically an Optimiser is a device that is connected between the Electricity Meter and Distribution Board (Consumer Unit) which intelligently optimises the supply voltage to all your electrical appliances.

Quoted savings on electricity usage are up to 20% which why I'm thinking of investing in one. Anybody got one? Are your machines running ok and are you saving money ?

You should know that voltage optimizers wont automatically bring down voltage to a finite voltage. It reduces it to a small band of voltage that the unit believes is necessary/required to maintain consistent power anything that is connected. For this reason, people don't always get savings of what they were expecting. Regular voltage has its down and up time, so you actually don't always get the same exact power wastage, which will further reduce the increase of efficiency that you are expecting. You will most likely notice increased efficiency in larger environment, or if you are a heavy power user.

There are a few types optimizers too. Some are used as protection, some are used to keep a consistent voltage in areas that has lots of volte fluctuation, and those that are advertised for efficiency. They're aren't cheap though. They can cost thousands of dollars(based on sizes), and usually take a few years for an average user to recoup their money.

Thank you for your reply.

I understand that you can alter the output voltage on some of the domestic versions and also choose between fixed ratio and variable versions. We can expect to pay circa £400-£500 installed for a domestic version with estimated 3 years pay-back here....well that is what my research tells me. The VO appears to be quite a popular topic within the renewable energy industry.

I understand your point about major benefits for larger environments but I still think they would have a use domestically.

There are other benefits.... with my iMac having an operating voltage of 100 to 240VAC if there is over voltage to say 253V this could cause my iMac to get hot and reduce it's life.

There are other benefits.... with my iMac having an operating voltage of 100 to 240VAC if there is over voltage to say 253V this could cause my iMac to get hot and reduce it's life.

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I can't give you any advice concerning voltage optimizers since our local electric provider won't allow one to be installed for safety reasons (their explanation, not mine). However, you may wish to consider a smart UPS for your iMac. I've seen several brands that provide line leveling and surge protection that can be purchased for around $200.