Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I had the same reaction (European too). If it's in Canada the supply voltage is 120V, so roughly half what we have in Europe, apples-to-apples it's comparable to 200A in Europe.

Still, it's a very high amount of power (48kW) that would not even be subscriptable in France for a consumer (the max is 36kW).



240v is delivered to homes on two legs - the legs are split to make 120v circuits for lighting and wall plugs. 240v circuits with both legs are common for things with a large draw such as HVAC, electric water heaters, electric stoves/ovens, electric dryers, etc.

Remember, they didn't want fossil fuels - if you are going all electric, especially for heating (in CANDADA!) you are going to pull some wattage.

That big outdoor pool - in CANADA - doesn't help either.


Supply is 240V in North America. You probably have multiple 240V circuits at your home, typically for electric range, oven, and clothes dryer at least. It is split into two for regular outlets and lighting.


Very interesting. Here in EU houses usually have three phases @ ~380V, where each phase is ~220V.


US residential service is split phase 120/240, US commercial service is generally 120/208v three-phase or 277/480v three-phase.




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: