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this post was submitted on 26 May 2025
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Oh! I knew European outlets operated at higher voltage, but I didn't know the standard circuits supported such high current. Jealous!
It's the same current but double the voltage
And wiring is typically rated for current limits not voltage (within reason). Some 12 gauge wire doesn't care if you're pushing 12V, 120V, or 240V but is only rated for 20A.
The easiest way to think about it is that the conductor is rated for the current, and the insulator is rated for the voltage. Now, once you get into the nitty gritty, they're more intertwined than that, but it's close enough for a surface level explanation.
I live in a 50 year old house. All the breakers are 16A, so 220V x 16A = 3.5kW
The electric sauna does three-phase @ 400V. My energy tracker usually peaks around 9.5kW when it's heating.
Most are actually 230V which is even more at standard 16A, 3680W to be precise.
Countries that use 110V have so many weird limitations that we don't even know in Europe. For them, 230V is the "special" outlet for special purposes.
The installation in my home follows my country's regulations as they were ~15 years ago. It's divided into several circuits, the 'general use' outlets one is rated for 25A in total AND at any point, ie you could plug a 5750W appliance in any of those outlets. The lights circuit is the lowest rated at 15A, still letting you 'plug' up to 3450W.