As the great power bill shock is heading to a mailbox near you, Today Tonight has found the device which could mean salvation to all those families being crippled by out-of-control power bills.

It's been forecast power prices will again rise 25% this year and some families are being forced to consider going back to the dark ages by shutting down their power supply.

Damien and Naomi Buhagair were paying $200 per quarter for power, when suddenly their bill jumped to $900.

Their demand for answers from their power company were ignored, so they changed provider and their bill went straight back down to $200.

For others it hasn't been so simple with thousands of Australians in the same position. In Queensland almost 18,000 people had their power disconnected for non-payment last year and there have been more than 6,000 complaints to the Electricity Ombudsman since July. New South Wales saw a spike in complaints of 42% last year to more than 15,000. In Victoria a record 26,000-plus complaints were made last year and disputes can drag on.

Leah and Jarrod Winch thought their first big bill of $900 dollars was over the top, the next quarter left that shock in the shade.

Leah and Jarrod have now been in dispute for almost a year and currently owe over $4000 to their power company with no end in sight.

“For almost 12 months now we've been arguing with Origin about our highly increasing power bills.

“We're at our wits' end. We just don't know what to do now,” they said.

Australians pay some of the highest electricity prices in the world, at around 21 cents per kilowatt compared to an average of 12 cents in the United States and 19 cents in the United Kingdom.

The finger of blame is being pointed at the generous rebates governments are paying households that generate solar power, of up to 40 cents a kilowatt. A scheme the rest of us subsidise. The only way to beat big bills it seems is to use less and Geoff Hourigan believes he has the answer.

“The technology has been around for approximately 30 years and it was first invented in Germany but it wasn't really needed then because power prices were really cheap,” Mr Hourigan said.

It's called the Earthwise Power Saver and Geoff has adapted the German technology for Australian conditions.

Essentially, it is a device that controls the flow of electricity to appliances so they get the right amount rather than too much, and the savings it can generate are up to 35% of your electricity costs.

“At the moment power is coming into your house all static bumping up and down, but after the Power Saver is installed it is just a clean, true line so it will actually run cleaner, cooler and last longer,” Mr Hourigan said.

Independent testing so far shows promising results. Electrical engineer Greg Paxton has worked with the CSIRO^ and federal and state governments which are interested in the Power Saver’s potential.

Greg's very optimistic as he has seen the clear evidence that it actually does work. He claims anyone can see that it reduces the current used by the apparatus which is consuming the power.

Internet based Panacea University electrical engineer Ashworth Palise agrees.

“In my opinion, it has shown successful results. It works,” he said.

Geoff is meeting with Queensland government in the next fortnight and has already installed 300 Power Savers into private homes and is anxiously anticipating their next power bills. The Power Saver also cuts down electromagnetic radiation which all electrical appliances emit and have been linked to cancer.

“A lot of people know it as dirty power. When we turn the Power Saver on and [electromagnetic radiation] will drop to the acceptable level of dirty power that should be in your house,” Mr Hourigan said.

Depending on the size the Power Saver ranges in price from $1,300 to $1,700 installed. Geoff believes the unit will pay for itself within two years and guarantees it works.

“We'll give you your money back or we'll test the unit to make sure the unit is working first.”

Earthwise Power Saver:

1300 768 004