This post is not really a computer tip, per se, but I’ll cover it anyway. Scam electricity-saving devices are rather tangential to what I write about here, and quite a few people are asking me about them. So heads up! Here’s what I can find and say about these things:
Power Saving Devices
These things go by a variety of names: Watt-Saver, StopWatt Energy Saving Device, Power-Save Box and more. If you notice these for sale on Amazon/TikTok/eBay/Facebook/etc., they will promise to greatly decrease your electricity bill! All you have to do is buy a bunch of them, plug them into your household outlets and wait.
But everything about these boxes is made up and the facts don’t matter.
- Elon Musk and/or Tesla have had no hand in creating or selling these devices.
- They do not reduce your electricity consumption in any meaningful way.
- Fox News and other news media have not endorsed or covered this product.
Their marketing also states that it may take a few months for you to notice the reduction on your bills. This is just a tactic to convince purchasers to keep these devices longer than the purchase-return-window.
The Truth
If you really want to cut electricity costs in your home, don’t believe these con artists. Conserving electricity is a little more involved than buying some junk from Amazon and plugging it in. There are plenty of reputable resources out there with ideas for you, and your electric company probably is probably one of them.
“But Jesse, I see these things on Amazon and they get great reviews!” Sorry, you can’t count on Amazon reviews these days. There are countless ways to game that system, so that a bogus product shows many 4- and 5-star reviews.
These devices contain almost nothing of value. YouTube has plenty of videos, where people take apart “power-saving boxes” and discuss their innards. Enjoy!
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