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I went to a presentation the other night and they were selling a bank of capacitors that you connect to your electrical panel. The purpose is to provide startup power thus lowering your electric bill. When refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners (condensers) first turn on they need a surge of power, similar to bass notes in a vehicle (which is when a stiffening capacitor is used).
I think they are more geared to industrial type use to help with power factor issues.
Places with lots of computer/flourescent lighting and pwm regulated goods, tend to be hard on power factor. There are cases where a power company will penalize those that pull pfc down.
This is an interesting concept. I've also researched converting most things in your home to 12VDC, after all, most electronics actually run on 12v or less internally. Eliminating wasteful wall-wart power supplies that lose most energy in the form of heat would go a long way toward lowering bills. Refrigerators, washers, and air conditioners could conceivably be converted to 12v motors, but things like stoves and dryers would either require 240v, or use gas instead. I think the biggest thing you would have to overcome is the resistance of the wire over longer runs.
I've read posts about stiffening capacitors being a load in a 12 volt system, nearly died laughing HaHa LOL
I put together a system for my nephew that got him through 4 yr of college, include a stiffening cap right before amps.
The person who owned same car before him, repeatedly replaced battery and the alternator and battery were replaced at the time we installed the Sound System!