reebelec,
Do a Keyword Search in this forum using the term "Energy Saver" and you will get many many threads that will sum up to what dpc said so eloquently above. Performance Controls is just another one of the new breed of these people trying to sell an establish technology (solid state soft starters) on a misguided perception of "energy savings" because as a soft starter, theirs is less than spectacular and typically more expensive than the host of other soft starters available from well established reputable companies. This is probably because they have to support a mulitude of investors that were duped into forking over money for a "miracle" new technology that has been around for years.
Oops, my bias is showing again...
Regarding your question about motor damage, the short answer is NO. In fact any soft starter will provide you with the benefits of lower wear and tear on the motor itself, so one could agrue that it will extend the useable life. In the "energy saver" mode the SCRs are phase-angle fired all of the time, creating increased harmonics in the system and the motor circuit so there is a disproportionate increase in motor heating per output amp. That said, of course it is only in "energy saver" mode when the load is virtually gone, so the output amps are lower to begin with and net effect of said heating on the motor is null. If however the harmonics become a problem for you and you need to add a reactor in front of the Performance Contoller to mitigate them, then the voltage drop through the reactor will translate to a loss of torque in the motor when it is running at full speed, so it will run hotter than normal and theoretically fail sooner. The irony of course is that if you add the reactor to mitigate the harmonics created by the energy saver, the energy saved is now wasted in the reactor!
"Venditori de oleum-vipera non vigere excordis populi"
