220 volts: Is it cheaper to run things on 220 Volts?
- 01/19/17 10:16 PM
In my 25 years as a contractor I do not know how many times I was asked this question. The answer is, no. In most cases (especially in non-industrial settings) voltage has zero effect on the cost of electricity used. We are charged for electricity in kilowatt hours. A kilowatt hour is 1000 watts used over one hour of time. A watt is a measure of the electricity we have used, it is a constant and never changes (for the example of homes and most commercial buildings). We typically only use higher voltages to save money on copper wire. The reason is (3 comments)