Why do different countries have different voltages of ac electricity? What are the advantages of 110-volt?

Question

versus 220-volt?

Answer 1

110volt supply is safe from dangerous shocks where as 220 will kill a peron. More voltage,less current for the same load, saves coipper wiresize.

Answer 2

well.. 110 takes lesser power than normal... think of it this way...to get 220, we need to have alot of turns... but 110 need only half of 220.. i guess the amerians or which ever country has 110 was too lazy to turn the rest, hence it became a std... :)

Answer 3

It hurts less when you open the wrong breaker and then touch the exposed wires.

Answer 4

There are advantages for both.

110V (or officially 115V) has a couple of advantages: -

- It is the same as keeping the old imperial units (feet, lbs...) instead of introducing the (easier) international metric-unit (meters, kg..) system. In other words, you do not have to change. You can keep the old standard. ** so this answers your first question **

- Lower voltages are generally safer.

The 220V (now 230V) has several clear advantages: -

- Less energy loss in the wiring for the same cross-section of wire and the same energy transmitted. Since P(power) = I(current) * V(voltage), if you increase the voltage then the current will be smaller, hence less energy loss in the form of heat (wires get hotter with a higher current running through them)

- Less copper used in the installation for the same energy.

- Higher maximum energy available through the same cross section of wiring.

Answer 5

As electricity systems in different countries developed independently from each other, it'd be more surprising if everybody had ended up using the same voltage.