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[mantahatch]

Stupid question from me. If the UK changed voltages from 240v to 110v would we save any electricity or emissions or anything ? or would it make no difference.

Reason I ask is our work is having the building extended and of course all the builders using 110v stuff. They don't seem to lack power or anything.

[tigers_gonads]

In a word ............... No 

All sites use 110 volts because is less lethal (even though it frigging hurts)

Quick ohms law lesson ......... Half the voltage (pressure) = Double the current (rate of flow)

I won't bore you with the rest 

[cem_devecioglu]

losses will be higher obviously

[Kevin Wood]

losses will be higher obviously

Yes, important point. One reason that we don't have a lower mains voltage is that, for a given amount of power, the losses in the distribution network are higher, unless you use more copper, so it's a tradeoff between losses in the network and how much it hurts.

That's also why the 230V mains voltage only exists to within a few hundred yards of your house where there'll be a transformer that drops down from probably 11kV.

[zirk]

Stupid question from me. If the UK changed voltages from 240v to 110v would we save any electricity or emissions or anything ? or would it make no difference.

Reason I ask is our work is having the building extended and of course all the builders using 110v stuff. They don't seem to lack power or anything.

Yea, bring it on, we could all make a fortune selling 110 to 230 step up Transformers to the country. 

There are some Large'ish Companies out there that have spent God knows what having there 230v  stepped down and delivered at 220v in order to save some money on there lecky bill, still not convinced about that one. 

[Rods2]

This is why we use AC instead of DC as high voltages can be easily dropped using transformers to the local 230v. Power losses in cables = I²R, where I is the current and R the resistance. Hence the use of high voltages and low current power transmission.

[Kevin Wood]

Stupid question from me. If the UK changed voltages from 240v to 110v would we save any electricity or emissions or anything ? or would it make no difference.

Reason I ask is our work is having the building extended and of course all the builders using 110v stuff. They don't seem to lack power or anything.

Yea, bring it on, we could all make a fortune selling 110 to 230 step up Transformers to the country. 

There are some Large'ish Companies out there that have spent God knows what having there 230v  stepped down and delivered at 220v in order to save some money on there lecky bill, still not convinced about that one. 

yeah, I heard that the houses of Parliament did it. Probably says it all.

It's only really purely resistive loads like old-fashioned light bulbs that will consume less power (and, of course, give less light and operate less efficiently) if you reduce the voltage. These have now been all but banned. A low energy light with an electronic ballast will simply draw more current, as will any device with a switched mode power supply (computers, monitors, pretty much any electronic device, in fact). Heating and cooling devices will shift less heat, so the thermostat will cause them to run for longer, increasing the average current. Draw more current and the losses in your wiring increase, and so does your overall energy consumption. Nice one.

[CaptainZok]

Stupid question from me. If the UK changed voltages from 240v to 110v would we save any electricity or emissions or anything ? or would it make no difference.

Reason I ask is our work is having the building extended and of course all the builders using 110v stuff. They don't seem to lack power or anything.

Yea, bring it on, we could all make a fortune selling 110 to 230 step up Transformers to the country. 

There are some Large'ish Companies out there that have spent God knows what having there 230v  stepped down and delivered at 220v in order to save some money on there lecky bill, still not convinced about that one. 

yeah, I heard that the houses of Parliament did it. Probably says it all.

It's only really purely resistive loads like old-fashioned light bulbs that will consume less power (and, of course, give less light and operate less efficiently) if you reduce the voltage. These have now been all but banned. A low energy light with an electronic ballast will simply draw more current, as will any device with a switched mode power supply (computers, monitors, pretty much any electronic device, in fact). Heating and cooling devices will shift less heat, so the thermostat will cause them to run for longer, increasing the average current. Draw more current and the losses in your wiring increase, and so does your overall energy consumption. Nice one.

Sounds like there's a few CEOs been sold some snake oil then. Quelle surprise.

[Andy B]

.... They don't seem to lack power or anything.

Because 110v stuff was designed from the outset for 110v. We have 110v single phase & 110v 3 phase at work ........... or, I should say, we the sockets knocking about the place, but  only half the buggers work!

[LFF64]

The other reason the builders are using 110v is that it is 55v to earth 

[I_want_an_Omega]

The other reason the builders are using 110v is that it is 55v to earth 

Also onboard ship IIRC