Frequently Asked Questions
domestic questions
Powerguard regulates peak power demand in households. Peak power is demanded when appliances such as geysers, pool pumps, air conditioners and underfloor heaters draw power while heaters, stoves, kettles and so on, are switched on at the same time. This situation results in power spikes in the electrical system of your home. With Powerguard installed the maximum peak power usage can be limited to a setting of your choice to avoid inconvenient trips.
- Powerguard significantly reduces domestic power peaks without imposing on the consumer. It needs no user input and requires no maintenance.
- Peak power management is automatic and efficient. No human intervention is required.
- Powerguard has secondary settings allowing the consumer to use smaller standby generators than before. You can save on purchase price and fuel. With Powerguard installed it is possible to install a 6KvA generator instead of a 15KvA generator. The price difference can be as much as R60 000 and then there is still savings on fuel.
- PowerGuard allows any home to support more electricial appliances from the same mains supply by managing power more efficiently.
- Annoying overload related trips can be eliminated cost effectively by installing the correct PowerGuard model.
- PowerGuard allows smaller standby generators to interface with existing household wiring while conforming to relevant by-laws.
Upmarket homeowners are experiencing their power tripping when for instance the tennis court flood light or other power hungry devices are switched on. Typically these homes will have many appliances and devices installed, all consuming power and if they are all powered up simultaneously, power may be interrupted. This problem is caused by peak power overload. These homes may for example have 80 amps supplied, but with all the power devices using power, the demand may require 100 amps. In this case a trip will occur, but with Powerguard, loads will be regulated to avoid the trip.
This cabability of Powerguard, explained above, will also make it possible for a home needing 3 phase power to operate on single phase power with the correct Powerguard settings. Home owners can benefit from the reduced cost of a single phase versus a 3-phase installation.
The PowerGuard will play a critical role in the national strategy to address the electricity shortage. Megawatts can be saved when the PowerGuard is installed in a significant number of households and businesses. You can contribute to the end of load shedding by installing a PowerGuard
HomeGuard ensures that unnecessary loads, for example, hot water geysers, are switched off during extended periods when holiday homes are vacant.
This is achieved by motion monitoring that allows power to a selected load to be switched off after a 48-hour period of no motion detection. Power is returned immediately when motion is detected again.
The HomeGuard can accept voltage inputs of 180 to 420Vac indefinitely as well as withstanding 6000Volt spikes. In addition, HomeGuard conforms to local EMI standards. The product can be installed by a certified electrician, without modification to the existing household's electricity network. Mmaximum load is 230Vac at 20 Amps resistive or 1HP for compound loads. A suitably rated contractor can be interposed to serve higher load requirements.
what do others say?
We installed PowerGuard in HUNTERS HOME, Knysna for Dave Howarth.
Dave Howarth (left) stands with electrician Steve Wright.
Local electrician Steve Wright, from Mitchell Electrical,has described this technology as "practically a must "for new developments which have only been allocated 45Amp electricity lines per dwelling, when standard 60Amp installations already fail to meet the requirements of larger homes.
Howarth explains that since the PowerGuard unit has been installed, his house has not suffered a single power cut due to overloading the electrical board, compared to the daily cuts he used to experience.
Victoria Fearon from Elizabeth Street in Schoemansville recently had the Powerguard installed and she told Kormorant that she is very satisfied with the result and the immediate benefits to the home.
Pinnacle Point, an up market golf estate needs Powerguard to enable homes to function on the power allocated to them by the electricity provider. These home owners are experiencing power "trips" because of limited power supply. After much research has been done, the management committee of Pinnacle Point decided that Powerguard will solve the power problems of the estate through the unique way it manages the power supply.
To whom it may concern,
PowerGuard Agency Reference
Therm-O-Care has been an appointed agent for PowerGuard in the George and surrounding areas for approcimately two years. During our tenure as agents our experience with PowerGuard can be characterised as the following:
- Ease of access to specialist knowledge regarding the PowerGuard products and their application to specific problems.
- Promptness of product delivery to specifications.
- High quality workmanship with no failures in installed units to date.
- An inherent eagerness to assist us where possible in order to fulfil our obligations to our clients.
Generally, our experience has been pleasurable and we are completely satisfied with the service and product quality provided by PowerGuard.
Sincerely,
25th October 2011
Bruwer's Electrical
P.O.Box 625
Randburg
2125
Powerguard Agency Reference:
I have been a Powerguard agent for around 4 years and have personally installed several residential and commercial units for my clients, all of them are still performing as advertised and often beyong expectation.
To date I have been satisfied with the product quality and service from Powerguard and will actively support them well into the future. I am willing to share my experience with any interested parties.
regards
Managing Member: Bruwer's Electrical
ewald@global.co.za
082 451 0757
about power
In an article published in the Mail and Guardian of 11 May, Cornelius van der Waal of growth consultants Frost and Sullivan writes that the chief reason Eskom halted load-shedding was that the electrical distribution infrastructure could not take the strain.
In plain Engish this means that the tremendous electrical loads generated in the power switching process caused strain on the switchgear of the power stations, causing tripping of power, fires and huge maintenace bills. We know that Powerguard installed in a sufficient number of households will solve this problem, because it will never allow huge currents to flow through homes therefore protecting the switchgear. Lower maintenance costs will translate into lower prices to the consumer.
| Symbol | What is it called? | What is it? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Amperes | A measure of electrical current. |
| V | Volts | The Voltage settings for your household power line. In SA this is an average 230Vac |
| W | Watts | The total amount of energy being used. W is the product or RMS Volts and Amps. |
| KW | Kilowatts | 1000 watts |
| KW/h | Kilowatts per hour | This is the total amount of energy used in one hour |
How much power are you using in your home?
click here for an indication.
By rationing the current (Amps), total energy usage (Watts) is reduced. While Volts stay constant at 220, fewer Watts will be used because the current (Amps) is reduced by the PowerGuard.
Powerguard will help power suppliers by controlling the energy demand through limiting the current being used by households. Lower demand for current especially in peak hours, means less current having to be supplied by Eskom and municipalities. When Eskom and municipalities have more power available they do not have to resort to load shedding.
business questions - the CPM range
A well researched and proven algorithm manages various loads according to a set hierarchy combined with timing, load, supply and reserve power calculation by constantly monitoring the total power to the installation.
PowerGuard can accommodate stand-by power generators as well as protecting loads against over and under voltage conditions. All units can operate with input voltages of between 180 to 420Vac indefinitely and can withstand 6,000 Volt spikes as well as conforming to regulated EMI standards.
some technical questions
Power is managed when the unit automatically switches off appliances as soon as an excessive load is sensed, such as during peak demands.The unit limits the current flowing though the electricity system. Selected appliances remain switched off for a relatively short period of time. After this time has passed, the intelligent unit assesses the power load again and then may switch the units back on or keep it switched off for longer.
Imagine a house having two geysers, under floor heating and an air conditioner. People always need access to hot water so a geyser can be kept as a high priority. Suppose the air conditioner is selected as the next highest priority, then under floor heating and finally, the remaining geyser.
Stoves, wall plugs and lights are normally not connected, so consumers will always have access to these appliances. However, if consumers want all these circuits to be connected to the PowerGuard, it can be done.
For this example we will assume that the maximum power load has been set to 45 AMPS
As soon as the intelligent PowerGuard senses a load exceeding 45 AMPS, it will switch off the geyser, because it was set as the lowest priority. The PowerGuard may switch off the under floor heating and the air conditioner if the load is still excessive. The appliances will remain off, as said before, for a set time. As soon as there is sufficient load capacity to avoid initiating a transgression appliances will be switched on according to the priority settings.
POWERGUARD peak-demand-controller