The small-sized "energy-saving" equipment is claimed to optimise the capacity of the main appliances in the household, such as air conditioners or refrigerators. — VNA/VNS Photo
As people and businesses across the country try to save energy due to power shortages, advertisements for devices that claim to reduce nearly half of a household’s usual electricity consumption are rampant on the Internet but their effectiveness remains questionable.
It is easy to find advertising posts selling energy-saving equipment on social networking and e-commerce platforms that are said to reduce up to 40 per cent of electricity bills per month, and that the seller will refund in full if the devices are inefficient.
In addition to saving electricity, some devices are supposed to prevent lightning strikes, helping ensure the safety of the whole family's electrical system.
The user instructions is to simply plug the device into any electrical outlet in the house, preferably near appliances that use large capacity and are constantly in operation such as air conditioners or refrigerators.
This small-sized additional equipment will then optimise the capacity of the main appliances, said the sellers.
Advertisers added that the principle of these energy-saving devices is based on harmonic filtering, thereby, reducing power loss.
Consumers can easily feel lost in the "matrix" of energy-saving products, with numerous different models, types, and origins. The selling price of these products ranges from a few hundred thousand to a million Vietnamese đồng each.
In the hope of reducing the amount of electricity use and cost during the summer, many people have bought the product.
Nguyễn Danh T., a customer in Đống Đa District, Hà Nội, said that the result disappointed him.
“The first month I thought it was to save electricity, but the bills increased the next month.
“I called to ask the sellers and they still even insist that their equipment can save energy,” he told VTC News.
Trần Trọng Tráng, an industrial and civil electrical engineer in Hà Đông District, also bought one of the “energy-saving” devices to test out for himself and confirmed that it has no use in saving electricity as advertised.