Hello Everybody,

I have been seeing an advertisement on TV recently about a product called AMPilizer. A link to the company’s website is below. On the “How it Works” page, the following explanation is provided:

http://www.ampilizer.com/assets/how-it-works-pg-right-image.png


To say the least, I am a little concerned. I am not going to say it is a scam, but it looks like a scam. I also do not see anything indicating this product has a NRTL listing nor do they mention the need for permitting.

This company is in our backyard.

Please share your thoughts…


http://www.ampilizer.com/

This looks like another power factor correction scheme.

Yep. Paul Chimene of FPL wrote me back and stated that FPL does not monitor or bill for lower power factor so there is little to no benefit to install one of these products...

He also provided the great article attached below:

I received this resposne from UL:

Caveat emptor...

Gentlemen,

Give it a rest for a number of reasons:

Investigate a little more into a product before you post your comment and get UL involved. The Ampilizer is backed with an ETL listing which also conforms to the UL 810. But even without the UL 810, The US recognizes ETL. Each box is high pot tested under 2500 volts before it leaves the factory. IF we weren’t allowed to sell this product we would not have been approved to sell it. If you have access to the NEC Handbook hardcover you can learn a little more about capacitors and how important they are under section 460, plus there is a picture of the box opened up.

We have been in the PFC business for many years mostly commercial but we found an industry in residential too. We are helping them as well. If it did not work we wouldn’t have a customer base that we do and we have cities and states that are pushing these products. We have the proper sizing equipment to temporarily introduce capacitance into the system then customize boxes for each individual load.
Energy Start had some concerns in the past as well and when we sent them the data they requested they took the “bad press” off their website. You are much smaller than Energy Star I can promise you that.

I understand your concerns about the technical page on Amplilizer’s webpage and that is understandable but we are in the business of sales not confusion. It is hard to describe to people what intrinsic and extrinsic line losses is, voltage drop, reactive current, real current, btu loss, and when we do face to face sales and talk about it, the customer usually just says, “I don’t want to hear that crap!” “Is this going to save me money and if not will you refund it?” The website is designed for leads not sales. You don’t need to make a cringe in the industry because someone didn’t spoon feed it to you.

Now it is common sense not to get FPL involved because if you are driving down any major road and looking up upon their poles and see these banks that are not transformers. Those banks are capacitors designed to free up capacity. Anytime you free up capacity you reduce heat. Heat and light is watts. FPL is in business to sell power and they are a private company. They have more money than you can count, and they will tell you that. FPL won’t tell you this though, our boxes plus the other companies that are in the PFC business, easily found online, are hurting their bottom line.

Again I understand your concerns about the technical page but there are many published documents with formulas that would satisfy even the most educated of you. My goal is not to make you believers but we would like to save you money. Be nice to Danielle she is trying her best. She’s in sales, not in some classroom, and we appreciate her.

Best,

I^2R

Ah the salesman awakes.

Go for it Bubba. Tell me why I should rent capacitors for $15 a month.

Play nice, boys. Everyone has an opinion here.

I am sorry I^2R, but you are not dealing with bunch 1st year apprentices here.

We are well versed in electrical theory, power-factor correction, and the modern day scams associated.

Your arguements lack technical merit..

1. Nobody got UL involved. A representative responded to my inquiry. Your listing by ETL only indicates the product is save from the standpoint of electrical shock & fire. It does not indicate the product actuall works.


2. You have not explianed how this device can save the user money as the device does not reduce the toal watts (kW) of the system for which FPL and the local POCO's charge. In fact, The only thing this device can do is reduce the VARs of the system which does not & cannot benefit the end user.

I have received several documents from FPL & UL regarding these devices which ALL state they do NOT work.

And if that is not enough, consider this paper from NIST:

http://www.nist.gov/pml/quantum/power_121509.cfm

I am sorry, but the product is false advertising & it preys on the uneducated.

Please be aware that your statements and the true FACTS of this product have been forward to an agent at the Florida Division of Consumer Services & the Florida Attorney Genral's office.

Mr. Holland
There are test that were done with a competitors box and NASA found it to work. I would like you to forward this as well but I have the actual document when we here from them. You are not the first OR last old school inspector to be confused about our product. Electrical theory is a hard concept to grasp and it is a shame that educated people like you are only as smart as the people that taught them. The NIST Paper is full of holes and UL cannot say it doesn’t work because they haven’t tested but thanks for the laugh. I would like to see the FPL comments and information as well because they are in the same boat as UL. The references from the NIST paper are from the 60’s. Let’s get something a little more up to date and the Energy Star reference was removed. Again FPL is in the business of selling power!

NASA TESTING
AVO

To: DE-TPO/C.Griffin

From: IM-WEL/J.Weeks

Subject Response to TTA-K517.(KVAR Electrical Optimization
System)
Attached for your disposition are the results of our test on the KVAR Electrical
Optimization System. Approval of test format was received by Gregory Taylor of KVAR
Energy Savings, Inc. on 11/19/96. The test was performed at the prototype shop (building
M7.581) on a 10 H.P. compressor motor on 11/22/96. Both initial and final values were
recorded from a Dranu Power Monitor PP1 (NASATag #1382136) while connected to the
distribution panel DPA.C2 (see attached diagram). The KVAR switch settings were
determined by a KVAR representative. All values pertinent to motor efficiency have been
recorded on the attached electric motor performance evaluation form. As shown on this
form, the real power draw by this motor decreased from 5.63 kw to 5.14 kw after
optimization. This corresponds to a power reduction of 8.7%.

Because your blog is out of date I was unable to attach the actual document. You should not need more proof than this, and if so you will never understand power factor correction and you need to retire. I will say that I do understand that this is not for everyone and with any device proper Due diligence should be exhausted.
Best,
I^2R

Again, you have no idea who you are dealing with. I am in my early 30's. I TEACH electrical theory.

I assure you I am not "old school" or "confused".

And you should know as well, you are not the first OR last scam artist I have had to deal with.

Rest assured that someone from the state will be in contact with you soon...


(By the way, I have noticed that you have stopped posting over at the Mike Holt Forum. I guess the truth is hard to swallow, isn't it??? http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=140087 )

Interesting. I remember such devices being advertised many years ago and I remember people telling me that they had one and did not realize the savings that were professed.
I cannot speak for the letter posted by the gentleman, but the thing you want to do is monitor the power usage on the line side of his contraption and not on the load side (as it seems was the case). It may well be the device does, in fact, reduce the wattage used after it modifies in incoming source but may well use power in doing so.
The only thing I can really say on the subject is this: If they really worked, I would expect they would be being used all over the place. Such is not the case...

I kind of like him. He didn't mention once how
GREEN
the darn thing is!

Caps do not create harmonic distortion and please refer the text where you received that info because that is incorrect. The problem with the NIST paper is the reference from which the information was taken. In the 1960’s absolutely the cap industry was irrelevant unless they were trying to add capacity to a circuit. Household appliances that create harmonic distortion or anything with electronics will in fact cause heat in the system. Heat is relevant because heat and light are watts. By smoothing out the sinusoidal waveform you absorb the harmonic distortion which in turn will increase capacity, lower resistance and losses, saving you money on your electric bill. Zbang I hope you understand what electronics are? But if not here:
• Computers, especially PCs
• Computer Terminals and Work Stations
• Computer Peripherals and Modems
• Word Processors
• Copy Machines
• Facsimile
• Teletype
• Telephone PBX
• Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners
• Adjustable Speed Drives
• Rectifiers
• Fluorescent Lights (including electronic ballasts)
Capacitors are a passive device that cannot and will not create harmonic distortion but they can amplify the 5th and 11th harmonics. The new smart meters monitor harmonic distortion so the power company has a new billing tier. The NASA paper has been around since 1996 I would think if it were made up there would have been some issues by now. The creator from NLCPR looks to have some bad blood with KVAR which usually means an employee disgruntled or a competitor, hence the solar push at the top of the screen. I don’t like KVAR because they are the reason this is a problem. At least I will tell you there if this system is right for you instead of KVAR who will sell to anyone and promise 50% savings off your next electric bill. You cannot! which brings us back to NLCPR page because that was one of the concerns. That is why we are successful with zero complaints from are customers. It would be a pretty huge coincidence if everyone we installed these for are saving money every month on there electric bill which some go back 10, 15 years. I am sure our paths will cross in real life sometime, some sooner than others.

Best,

I^2R

Just an update, Mr. Holland, from Mike Holts

These posts over at the Mike Holt Forum sum it up really nice. The link starts at Page 5, but feel free to read from the start.

http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=140087&page=5


Everyone is wrong & dumb but this guy. Every bit of documentation provided to him that disproves his product he claims is invalid or out-of-date. He claims that organizations like UL, FPL, & NIST can't possibly know as much as he does.

What a joke. This scam artist should be arrested...

Arrested for putting caps in an electrical system. Are you serious and you are an inspector? Please re-read article 460 of the NEC. Every cap company from the beginning is still in business including KVAR and Power Saver. What we are doing is not illegal and just because you don't understand it doesn't mean I am smarter than you.

I^2R

I have no problem with someone selling an item....but, when I go to the website I keep seeing the word "guarantee" over and over again but have yet to find the guarantee. Would you mind posting "the guarantee?"

This is the only thing I can find Nick:



That's some guarantee...

That's my point. They make the argument again and again that it's "GUARANTEED" yet there is no link for a guarantee. So the advertisement, in my opinion, seems 100% false. Never mind the product.

Mr. Sasso,

I will look into the warranty. I am not in sales and I don't get involved in the legal side. I am a field expert in PFC and Harmonic Distortion and that is why I disagree with the NIST. In fact until Mr. Holland posted the link I have only been on their website once before.

Best,

I^2R

I thought you were one in the same.

??

Are you selling this product or just a proponent for this product?

I am not opposed to power-factor correction. I know it works. I personally worked for an industrial facility (Yoder Bros.) that had literally hundreds of motors & motor-operated appliances. We installed capacitor banks & other power-factor correction devices.

BUT, that was to satisfy an agreement made with FPL as our billing was peak demand & adjusted for low poser-factor due to the largely inductive (lagging) loads being supplied.

A single-family dwelling is not billed for total kva consumed, but rather total kW. If you were selling your devices to industry, no problem. But you are selling to the general public that CANNOT possibly receive any benefit whatsoever.

It's false advertising. PERIOD.

Here is some REAL math posted on the Mike Holt Forum:

Reactance on an oversized motor reduces power factor. Power factor correction works well on factory-type installations with lots of oversized motors as I saw twenty years ago. It might also improve our efficiency with fluorescents and other ballasted fixtures.
I've never seen KVAR meters on residential services but with 100 amp refrigerators I can see the need for conservation.

Here is my 2 cents.
Most all of the utilities here in Florida do not have a residential rate to provide a discount on power factor.
Only commercial customer rates have that option.

So valid or not most all residential customers would not be able to take advantage of power factor correction. At least to get a discount on their bill.