Consumer investigation finds dangerous energy saving device

Consumer investigation finds dangerous energy saving device

A Consumer NZ investigation into the so-called Go4Green Energy Smart device has shown it to be electrically unsafe and unable to produce its claimed power savings. Consumer says people should steer well clear of the product and if they have already bought one they should be demanding their money back.

The device makes claims like: "Fit & Forget - simply plug into any power point close to everyday appliances and switch on ... designed and proven to reduce kWh usage and electricity costs by up to 10% and more ... Tried & Tested - fully certified and independently tested ECO product."

Consumer NZ Chief Executive Sue Chetwin says none of this is true and worse, the device is electrically dangerous.

As a result of Consumer's investigations, Go4Green Energy Smart has been banned from sale and use in New Zealand.

Even though it claims to have safety approvals, Go4Green isn't electrically safe. It uses a small internal capacitor to attempt to save power, which means it stores electricity. If you remove it from a live wall socket, it will have 230volts stored up and the pins will still be live. Both here and in Australia several people have had an electric shock from accidentally touching the pins.

The device has just been prohibited by Energy Safety. It can no longer legally be used by anyone who has bought one.

NO POWER SAVINGS

Consumer bought a sample from www.thedeal.co.nz and tested it in a typical household setting, using a simulated household circuit thatlet Go4Green run on a heat pump, fridge, washing machine, clothes dryer, fan heater, compact fluorescent lamp, microwave oven, and DVD player (in separate test runs, of course).

It was given the best possible chance to demonstrate any savings by plugging it in close to all these household appliances.

Except on the fridge, the Go4Green saved no energy. In fact it added a little to the energy bill. In a typical household, any savings for one appliance would be cancelled out by the losses from others.

Although Consumer's measurements show a possible small energy saving from the fridge, this won't show up on the power bill, because electricity meters cannot measure the change. See www.consumer.org.nz for an explanation of this.

CONSUMER SAYS

- If you have one of these devices, stop using it immediately. Remove it carefully from the wall. Avoid touching the pins and carefully put it back in its box, or a plastic container. The capacitor will self-discharge in a few days.

- Because it's a faulty product, you can claim a full refund from the seller. - so get on to it now.

ENDS

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