Advice on V Phase Voltage Optimisation Units

[jenny8678]

Hi I am looking for some advice and guidance with regards to the V Phase Voltage Optimisation Unit which I have been advised to have installed at my property.
Could anyone give me their views on this product and if it is worth spending the money as an investment ?
I have found one on trades supermarket vphase vx1 and would appreciate it if anyone could advise me of anywhere cheaper ?
Thanks for your help
Jenny

 

[poppypiesdad]

Advised on what grounds ? and thats about right for price

JAmie

 

[malcolmsanford]

Honestly Jenny in a domestic installation I don't think they are worth the material they use to make them with.

They normally have a cutout on any appliance over 20amp in other words the high energy using appliances such as electric showers, cookers etc will just literally turn these units off. Also most smaller appliances such as an Iron or a kettle will take proportionally longer to work on a lower voltage.

They can be useful used as a surge protection device to protect sensitive equipment such as computers, but at 180 pounds there are a lot cheaper ways to protect your equipment.

My advice would be not to get it

 

[Deleted member 19807]

personaly i would not bother,

here is a short which report about them

10 eco products you don't need - Energy saving products - Which? Energy

 

[Des 56]

In case you are naive enough to throw your money at such suspect gimmicks
Here are a few opinions made recently on this forum
http://www.electriciansforums.net/e...41981-anyone-fitted-one-these.html#post365225

 

[spark 68]

My advice would be not to get it

Exactly, what you achieve from these is anyones guess ?

As most of the power using stuff is thermostatically controlled (kettles etc.) it just means they are on for longer!, so no savings here, and any electronic equipment would just pull more current to achieve the same output (as in voltage wrt electronic ballasts etc.) you cannot break the laws of physics.

As they won't work above 20A, whats the point ?

 

[Rockingit]

They can be useful used as a surge protection device to protect sensitive equipment such as computers, but at 180 pounds there are a lot cheaper ways to protect your equipment.

I actually rang and asked VPhase about this a few months ago, and they themselves said that the uniits do not respond quickly enough to protect against surge.

Jenny - spend the money on some decent quality led lights instead, free cheese comes on mousetraps!!

 

[malcolmsanford]

I actually rang and asked VPhase about this a few months ago, and they themselves said that the uniits do not respond quickly enough to protect against surge.

Jenny - spend the money on some decent quality led lights instead, free cheese comes on mousetraps!!

Cheers Rockingit I never knew that, so it is even more useless than I thought

 

[MarkieSparkie]

Hi Jenny, They are about as useful as a Christmas cracker novelty toy. The company's energy saving claims are highly dubious, not much better than a cheap magic act with smoke and mirrors.

 

[vphase]

We're obviously keen to address misconceptions and incorrect statements about our product when we see it being discussed on forums such as this, so I'll hopefully be able to address the points that have been raised in a clear and concise manner.

Firstly, reference is made to electric cookers and showers causing the unit to go into bypass. In actual fact, the installation instructions (available on the VPhase web site HERE), specifies that resistive heating circuits should be excluded from being optimised as no savings can be made on these types of circuits. Therefore, electric cookers, showers and immersion heaters should not be optimised by VPhase. A further misconception related to this, is that these appliances account for the largest energy use in a property, but research carried out by DECC (July 2010) indicated that over 67% of a home's electrical consumption is typically from lighting and appliances - and these are things that VPhase voltage optimisation can and does make savings on. Whilst no savings can be made on irons or kettles that are plugged into optimised ring main circuits, and they will have to be on slightly longer to reach the desired temperature, they also won't lose money or cost more to operate.

The VPhase does not include full surge protection that can protect the home from transient surges and spikes, but as it stabilises the output voltage, it does help reduce the impact of fluctuating voltage supply.

The Which? article is something that is brought up from time to time - and an issue that we have responded to. A full response is available HERE. In short, the Which? report did not conduct a thorough assessment of the product in its intended use and also drew unfair comparisons. For example, one of the principle reasons it suggested that the VPhase should be avoided was because the payback period (at up to 5 years) was too lengthy; yet in the same article, they also recommend Double Glazing, with a payback period typically over 10 years and a much higher capital outlay to the homeowner. VPhase has always been up front about the expected payback period (3 - 5 years), although with the continuing increases in electricity prices, this is reducing all of the time.

VPhase has gone to great lengths to test its product and have the results independently assessed and published. It has undertaken trials with Ofgem, British Gas, SSE and many social housing associations throughout the UK. Where possible, these results have been published on the VPhase web site. The savings claims have been independently assessed and demonstrated typical energy savings of up to 12%.

Our technical training video is scheduled for release on the 1st December. It includes a practical/technical installation guide and a Q&A session and will be available through our YouTube channel HERE. It should address many of the questions and concerns that are raised by electrical installers.

 

[i=p/u]

thank you vpahse for replying to a subject that comes up a lot,,,, is there a 3 phase version out yet, as this is where you would get 20A of lighting??? and can see considerable savings here and maybe a possible savings..

people dont see electrics as necesity in keeping upto date as doesnt do that much for there sight of hard earned cash to be spent on.. where if you get new windows , they go oo look at my new windows.. you get my drift...

also if you look at one way like of myself where im 10-15 pounds a week electricty thats £1.20-£1.50 a week saving if you can get top end out of your device.....

for nearly a £300 device+ installed

 

[vphase]

We have actually published some information on the VPhase web site about 3 phase supplies and where/how VPhase can work with this. You can view the info HERE.

In short, the answer is that VPhase don't have a 3 phase version available, but the current VPhase can work with 3 phase supplies as long as the installer is selective over the circuits being optimised.

 

[Big n Daft]

We're obviously keen to address misconceptions and incorrect statements about our product when we see it being discussed on forums such as this, so I'll hopefully be able to address the points that have been raised in a clear and concise manner.

Firstly, reference is made to electric cookers and showers causing the unit to go into bypass. In actual fact, the installation instructions (available on the VPhase web site HERE), specifies that resistive heating circuits should be excluded from being optimised as no savings can be made on these types of circuits. Therefore, electric cookers, showers and immersion heaters should not be optimised by VPhase. A further misconception related to this, is that these appliances account for the largest energy use in a property, but research carried out by DECC (July 2010) indicated that over 67% of a home's electrical consumption is typically from lighting and appliances - and these are things that VPhase voltage optimisation can and does make savings on. Whilst no savings can be made on irons or kettles that are plugged into optimised ring main circuits, and they will have to be on slightly longer to reach the desired temperature, they also won't lose money or cost more to operate.

The VPhase does not include full surge protection that can protect the home from transient surges and spikes, but as it stabilises the output voltage, it does help reduce the impact of fluctuating voltage supply.

The Which? article is something that is brought up from time to time - and an issue that we have responded to. A full response is available HERE. In short, the Which? report did not conduct a thorough assessment of the product in its intended use and also drew unfair comparisons. For example, one of the principle reasons it suggested that the VPhase should be avoided was because the payback period (at up to 5 years) was too lengthy; yet in the same article, they also recommend Double Glazing, with a payback period typically over 10 years and a much higher capital outlay to the homeowner. VPhase has always been up front about the expected payback period (3 - 5 years), although with the continuing increases in electricity prices, this is reducing all of the time.

VPhase has gone to great lengths to test its product and have the results independently assessed and published. It has undertaken trials with Ofgem, British Gas, SSE and many social housing associations throughout the UK. Where possible, these results have been published on the VPhase web site. The savings claims have been independently assessed and demonstrated typical energy savings of up to 12%.

Our technical training video is scheduled for release on the 1st December. It includes a practical/technical installation guide and a Q&A session and will be available through our YouTube channel HERE. It should address many of the questions and concerns that are raised by electrical installers.

Jolly good then, all is rosey in the garden.
I attended one of your "training days". I was thoroughly unimpressed by the load of over complicated useless tosh that was on offer.
Voltage regulation has been around for donkeys years and its not installed in domestic dwellings becuase it doesnt work. This has now all changed due to the lets save some cash green energy drive. What this has done is open up a whole new market for the sharper ones amongst us to make money out of those less blessed.
Ask yourself this Jenny, how many on here have said "what a good idea". None apart from the bloke selling it, nuff said.

 

[i=p/u]

what about voltage drop for circuits that have been designed to the end limits???? im only newbie so dont go ya dopey her...

 

[malcolmsanford]

I'm still not sure how having a 3kw kettle working for longer will actually not cost you more, when we use KwH units in the UK.

Also not sure how much damage or lessening the lifespan of a resistive load at a lower voltage that it was designed for will do to that appliance, such as an iron or kettle. Most elements still on the UK market are rated for 240 volts, and by dropping it's efficiency by nearly 10% is not doing it much good.

Finally with the advent of LED lighting becoming more prevalent in the domestic market, it will be interesting to see how much these will out perform the savings that cna be made by using this equipment.