The trouble for those who are going to travel or buy home appliances over the Internet, for example, is to be careful to know what the standard is. electrical voltage places: 110V or 220V. It can either annoy you by not powering your device properly, or in the worst case, burn your device. But after all, why don’t we have a single standard throughout Brazil? Why do we have different voltage standards across the country?

The two quantities that govern the flow of electrical energy are Voltage (or, more commonly, voltage) measured in volts, and chain, measured in amps Voltage is basically the amount of force needed to move energy from one side to the other. Current can be described as a “volume” of energy.

Santa Catarina, for example, operates at 220 V, while Parana uses the 110 V standard. An interesting detail is that no technical reason why. The main reason is the historical choice of companies that have taken over the distribution in these places. As a rule, American and Canadian companies chose 110 V, and European companies – 220 V. Since the electrical network was already laid and it was impossible to rebuild it, everything remained the same.

Brazil is still dominated by 110 V networks. The reason, which also influences the choice between electrical voltages in each location, is the following. security, as getting an electric shock from a 220V outlet is doubly dangerous, even if financially it may not be so good. And if we talk about money, then the 110v electrical network is more expensive, because. need thicker yarn and receives more electricity. If the wires are not thick enough, it is much easier to set fire to the house with a 110v network.

However, Gilberto Aguiar, a former electrical engineer at Centrais Elétricas de Santa Catarina, explains that there are usually different voltages do not bring many advantages or disadvantages to the consumer. Of course, if you are using a 110V appliance in a 220V outlet, there is a high chance that it will fail. Otherwise, the device will not work properly, as it receives half the voltage it should. But the price of energy does not depend on this, although there are times when 220V would be a better choice – especially when it comes to appliances that need to generate more heat and therefore consume more energy.

To better explain: any electrical appliance consumes energy through the appliance and wires. If we are talking about the soul, for example, the resistance inside it will require the same energy to raise the temperature from both 110V and 220V. However, what really affects the consumption of electrical appliances is the wire through which the energy passes. If the electrical wiring of the house is designed in accordance with current standards, appliances for 110 and 220 V will cost the same. But the consumption in the wires depends on the voltage of the device, and if the device is running at 110V, the wires will consume four times more energy than if it is running at 220V.

As Luis Núñez de Oliveira, Professor of Theoretical Physics Group at the San Carlos Institute of Physics, explains:

“Given some operating standards, a 220V refrigerator saves less than 10% energy compared to a 110V refrigerator. But a clothes dryer connected to a 220V network consumes an average of 30% less, and this is a significant savings. […] Let’s say the wires consume 10% of the energy consumed by a 220V shower, the same wires will consume 40% of the energy consumed by a 110V shower. Similarly, if the wiring consumes 0.5% of the energy consumed by a 220V shower, the same wiring will consume 2% of the energy consumed by a 110V shower. with 220V will be very beneficial. In the second there will be almost no difference between 110V and 220V […]. But there are many homes that do not have proper electrical wiring, and therefore the likelihood of high costs, as well as short circuits, is high.”

“Given some operating standards, a 220V refrigerator saves less than 10% energy compared to a 110V refrigerator. But a clothes dryer connected to a 220V network consumes an average of 30% less, and this is a significant savings. […] Let’s say the wires consume 10% of the energy consumed by a 220V shower, the same wires will consume 40% of the energy consumed by a 110V shower. Similarly, if the wiring consumes 0.5% of the energy consumed by a 220V shower, the same wiring will consume 2% of the energy consumed by a 110V shower. with 220V will be very profitable. In the second there will be almost no difference between 110V and 220V […]. But there are many homes that do not have proper electrical wiring, and therefore the likelihood of high costs, as well as short circuits, is high.”

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Via: Gazeta do povo, IFSC | USP