With the price of fossil fuels higher than average, and poised to stay that way for some time, many people are thinking long-term and turning to electricity to handle their chores. Knowing that electricity can be created from multiple clean and renewable source has helped spark an expansion of electric usage in the United States.

However, ramping up to use electricity in places where you used to use gas is not always simple. Many folks are learning about the ins and outs of getting electricity from one place to another, and they are hearing a term that is new to them, or at least unfamiliar in the world of electricity: 220.

110 vs 220

Electricity is like many things. If you want to accomplish more, you need more. This applies to everything from lights to dryers to charging a car. The amount of electricity needed for most household appliances is rather small.

Those items take a sip of electricity, and a 110 outlet – the kind you find in nearly every wall in your home – is enough. That is, these appliances – radios, toasters, rice cookers, lamps, radios – are just sipping electricity. Sip. 110. Sip.

But there are other machines in your house that need to take big gulps of electricity. These are the ones that generate heat or help cool the whole house, like your air conditioner or furnace. Other appliances are doing big work in your house. You ask your dryer, for instance, to take the water out of a lot of clothes each load. It does this by spinning, heating, and passing air through. That’s a lot of work!

These appliances really need a lot of electricity. They gulp electricity. Gulp. 220. Gulp.

So everything is different about 220. The line from your fuse box to your wall is different. And the outlet is different too.

You don’t want to accidentally plug the wrong thing in there! So 220 cords end with a very specific plug that helps to make sure that you never plug it into the wrong outlet. This prevents your appliance and your house from an unpleasant shock and perhaps an expensive repair!

Don’t know what kind of electricity you have and you are looking to upgrade? Call Price Electric and we can help make sure you have all the power you need to sip or gulp for your next project.

“You gonna make it all 220?”     “220, 221. Whatever it takes.”