Is Voltage Optimisation (VO) the best thing since Sliced Bread, or is it marketing BS?
Providers of VO equipment claim to deliver energy savings of 10-15 and even 20%, so we thought we’d take a look
What is it?
Power is supplied at a nominal 230V AC in the UK, give or take. The allowable range can be anywhere between 216 and 253 V but the average is actually 242 Volts.
This contrasts to continental Europe, where historically the norm was 220V pre-1995. In theory, since EU voltage harmonization in that year, that should now be 230V.
Why does any of that matter? Equipment which is supplied with power at a higher voltage (say 240 V) that it has been designed for (say 220V) is not optimised – unnecessary loses may be occurring due the extra resistance generated by the higher voltage.
For resistive power loads such as electric heating or incandescent lighting (remember that!) this doesn’t matter or course, but for inductive loads – motors, pumps, compressors for example, the loses caused by over-voltage can be in the region 10-12%.
Voltage Optimisers are items of equipment which take the incoming mains power and reduce the voltage to that which is optimum for the equipment connected to it.
Who will benefit?
In some cases, it seems that the claimed benefits may be legitimate. Businesses which have an incoming voltage at the higher end of the allowable range, which use inductive load appliances, including fridges and freezers, and where those appliances may be quite old, those 10-15% savings may be achievable.
So, SB or BS?
That depends. If your business broadly fits into the above description then it’s certainly worth considering.
Ewan Bent, 4th Jan ’23
