Electrical Safety First found some of the devices for sale on eBay, one of which was brought to the charity’s attention by adverts online promoting the devices as a way of making big savings on energy bills.
It purchased four samples of plug-in devices purporting to either save energy or ‘stabilise electrical current’ and sent them to an independent lab for specialist testing. All four samples purchased were found to have failed basic safety standards, risking fires and electric shocks.
One test designed to demonstrate the product’s capability to safely handle a short circuit led to the device exploding, sending fragments of hot glowing metal into the air (pictured).
Image credit: electrical safety first
The investigation builds on previous research by the charity a decade ago, which found...