Vietnamese who think they can reduce their electricity bills with certain affordable devices may be putting themselves, and their money, at risk.

Buyers fascinated by a variety of online advertisements claiming to shrink monthly utility bills by 30 to 40 percent with handy devices that cost only a few hundred thousand dong (VND100,000 = US$4.4) are finding out the hard way that many of these ads are nothing more than deceptive fraud.

In order to gain a direct insight into these power savers, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters bought two types of power-saving device advertised online by Vietnamese sellers and had them evaluated by an expert.

The devices were easily purchased through an online shopping website with just a few simple clicks.

After leaving the required personal information, an agent contacted the undercover correspondents, named a price of VND300,000 ($13) and promised the shipment would be delivered within two or three days.

The first power-saving device was handed to the 'customers' with an instruction sheet written in Vietnamese stating that it could save some 28,000 kilowatts of electricity.  

The second was purchased from another manufacturer, though the journalists were denied a request to check the product directly at the company.

According to the firm’s telemarketer, their devices can help reduce monthly electricity bills by VND300,000 to VND400,000 ($17.5).

A device cost VND690,000 ($30), the agent said, adding that their products are manufactured and sold exclusively by the company itself.

After finalizing the order, the device was delivered in a box with an English-language instruction manual. 

The package failed to include information regarding its origin and the address of the producer.

Both devices’ instruction books showed similar images of their operating principle without specific measurement units. 

The books seemed to be printed by the same source.

Two power savers being sold in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Potential risks

The equipment was brought in for an assessment at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

In the user’s guidelines, these power savers are said to be functional after being plugged to any socket in a house’s electric system.

After disassembling the covers, the reporters saw that the internal parts of the two devices are nearly alike.

According to Dr. Nguyen Quang Nam, head of the university’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering Faculty, the power savers’ sizes are rather small compared to the capacity of 28,000 to 30,000 kilowatts stated on their labels.

The instruction manuals show vague operating principles and do not list the exact units of measurement, Dr. Nam continued.

After running the tests, the expert concluded that the devices failed to reduce the amount of electricity used and also posed a risk of explosion.

It is difficult for competent agencies to verify the safety and function of these devices because they do not specify an origin, Nam said, warning that buyers might lose their money without having any reduction in their power bills.

Luan Quoc Hung, an official from the Ho Chi Minh City Electricity, affirmed that no device can help lower the power consumption in each household.

People can only save electricity with practical methods, including building houses that allow natural light, using light bulbs with low capacity, and turning off devices when not in use, Hung suggested.

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