No, these plug-in devices won’t save money on your power bill

BRADENTON, Fla. — We're all looking for ways to save money and small, inexpensive devices sold online promise big savings on your electric bills.

VERIFY has received many questions about these plug-in devices marketed under names like “Miraclewatt" and "Stop Watt." Many of our viewers said they learned about these products through Facebook ads, some of which show they were invented or endorsed by billionaires like Elon Musk or Bill Gates.

Mary Ann Butler in Bradenton said her utility bill increased after she purchased and started using several of these devices throughout her home.

She contacted VERIFY to find out if they really work.

THE QUESTION

Do plug-in devices like Miraclewatt or Stop Watt save money on electricity bills?

THE SOURCES

• U.S. Department of Energy
• Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, which is like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a region in England
• United Kingdom’s Office for Product Safety & Standards
• Alliant Energy
• Sustainable Energy Group, a solar power company based in California
• Raritan, a company that builds power and energy monitoring products
• Reviews on Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• Duke Energy

THE ANSWER

No, plug-in devices like Miraclewatt or Stop Watt do not save money on electricity bills.

WHAT WE FOUND

Plug-in boxes or devices that claim to lower your electricity usage and reduce your power bill are sold under many different product names, such as Miraclewatt, Stop Watt, Pro Power Saver and Voltex. None of them will help reduce your power bill.

Because these devices include an LED light, they might even increase your power bill by a tiny amount, the Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, which is like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a region in England, found when it tested four plug-in devices that claimed they could save customers as much as 90% on electricity in February 2023.

“However, following testing by Trading Standards officers, it was discovered that electrical consumption actually increased when using the products,” Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards said. “Safety issues were also discovered, with poor construction and access to live parts examples of some of the faults with the products.”

Many reviews on MiracleWatt’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page complain about seeing no difference in electricity bills, even after a year of using the product. Over 90% of the reviews on Voltex’s Trustpilot page give the product one star because customers say the product does not do as advertised.

That’s because these energy-saving devices can’t actually change the amount of electricity the appliances in your home use, and what they claim to change doesn’t impact your electricity bill anyway.

Multiple electronics-oriented YouTube channels have taken apart examples of these devices and come to similar conclusions. Inside one of the devices is a circuit, a small capacitor that’s supposed to be responsible for the power factor correction, and an LED light that turns on as soon as the device is plugged in. Testing within the videos shows that they don’t reduce power usage.

Our VERIFY team also found the way these devices are marketed through ads, articles and their own websites are red flags that should make you wary of them, even if you didn’t already know their claims are impossible.

How to actually save on your utility bill

While there may be no magic device to lower your power bill, companies like Duke Energy offer free inspections to customers to help identify reasons you might be paying more than you'd like and solutions to fix it.

Gordon Appleton, an energy efficiency specialist with Duke Energy explained the devices he uses — like infrared cameras — to detect where in your home you're losing energy. Customers can then earn up to $1,700 in rebate incentives to make upgrades to their home's attic insulation, duct work, windows or HVAC system.

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"It's so hot in Florida, our attics are getting so hot that some of the tape that holds your ductwork together, the glue is actually drying off after years," Appleton said. "We're looking for those things that we see [are] very common in Florida that cause your usage to go up."

He said common problems with ductwork and insulation lead to the biggest culprit typically driving up your utility costs: thermostat settings.

"A lot of times when I go up in the attic the ductwork is leaking, attic insulation is low and so all that heat from that attic comes down ... a lot of your air conditioning is going up there and so you are uncomfortable," he said. "When we make those repairs, you can increase your thermostat setting, save money, and now you're more comfortable than you were before but showed up."

You can find more information about how to qualify for Duke Energy's Home Energy Improvements rebate program here.

VERIFY's Emery Winter contributed to this report.