Room limited to 500 Watts?

[JohnW2]

Tariffs based on maximum demand are the norm in France - a 60/80/100A supply would be ruinously expensive.

Indeed, and similar (or even non-availability of higher-demand supplies, at any price) seems to be true in many countries.

Do I take it from this that the generation, distribution and sale of electricity is not a viable profit-making activity? That's the only viable explanation I can think of for the rather unique situation in which a 'supplier' seeks to limit it sales and/or charge more to those who want to buy more of their product!

Kind Regards, John

 

[OwainDIYer]

Installing new street mains is horribly expensive.

If they'd done the job properly in the first place ...

 

[JohnW2]

Installing new street mains is horribly expensive.

I realise that, but once one has found the initial capital/investment and done that, the returns go on for decades - so I would have thought it was potentially a very good long-term investment.

Building a new car factory would be very expensive, but worthwhile if one new that it was going to facilitate making profit on millions of extra cars over the following decades - and, despite all the 'eco-consciousness' around us, the demand for electricity is not going to go away any time soon!

However, having said all that, there's obviously a reason why there are these countries in which the electricity generators/suppliers seem content to restrict their market to a fraction of what it probably could be. In the current economic times, one can understand, but it's a long time ago that they really should have (and probably could have) made the major investment to improve their long-term profits.

Kind Regards, John

 

[westie101]

I would think it would require a lot more than just increasing the size of the LV network cables.
A general increase in capacity to customers would also impact on the reat of the power system.

 

[JohnW2]

I would think it would require a lot more than just increasing the size of the LV network cables. A general increase in capacity to customers would also impact on the reat of the power system.

I'm sure that it would impact on everything - from generation all the way to the customers' installations. However, if it would be profitable in the long term, it ought to be an investment worth making.

They even built the Channel Tunnel

Kind Regards, John.

 

[plugwash]

They even built the Channel Tunnel

Which afaict was a failure financially.

 

[JohnW2]

They even built the Channel Tunnel

Which afaict was a failure financially.

I guess that depends upon ones expectations, definitions and timescales. I would imagine that, now that 's its built, the running costs are relatively modest(in relation to 'the big picture'), yet it's likely to carry on generating income for a very long time - probably a century or more.

Kind Regards, John

 

[SimonH2]

A friend was recently telling me that they are limited to 40A max at her house in a city in Northern Italy, this is a common capacity there and will automatically trip if above that figure.

Ah yes, I used to work for a company with an office in Milan. They used to have problems with "power cuts" - mostly in the afternoons when the load from the AC would trip the main breaker. I got to know about it as it would mean the office went off the network, and they would be left with stale sessions on the main computer system.


But I recall when I was at uni, in my first year I had a single 13A socket (or could have been 2 singles) in the room which had their own meter - there was also an electric fire. Ie, for the fire and 13A sockets, I was metered and paid for the lecky. But we also had some 2A round pin sockets which weren't metered. So yes, I had a 2A plug to 13A socket strip, and I found a small immersion element (500W) for heating single cups of water. I think I've still got that somewhere - saw it not long ago when looking for something else.

 

[bernardgreen]

I have vague memories of a 1960's student building a mini storage heater that was heated 24 hours a day by a low wattage element and then fan blown to heat the room when needed.

 

[Lectrician]

I can't help but think we are well off electrically in the UK! We're used to a minimum of a 60A supply, (though with fuses & fusing factors it is rather higher)

We've started caravanning so are getting used to a 16A hook up (though there are sites only supplying 10A in the UK and as low as 6A in Europe).
A friend was recently telling me that they are limited to 40A max at her house in a city in Northern Italy, this is a common capacity there and will automatically trip if above that figure.
She was quite surprised when I told her that 100A was common in the UK

We do quite a lot of work on caravan sites, and it is not uncommon to come across 6 and 10amp supplies here.

Our neighbour has a villa in Spain and we have been out quite a few times. They have an un-metered supply, with a 20amp MCB in a sealed enclosure. Quite annoying having to think about what you are doing. Oven, Water Heater, A/C in every room. You can only run two things at once and so have to think and plan what your doing all the time! Even then you trip the bloody thing a couple times a day!

 

[SimonH2]

Our neighbour has a villa in Spain and we have been out quite a few times. They have an un-metered supply, with a 20amp MCB in a sealed enclosure. Quite annoying having to think about what you are doing. Oven, Water Heater, A/C in every room. You can only run two things at once and so have to think and plan what your doing all the time! Even then you trip the bloody thing a couple times a day!

We'll soon be like that over here if the windmill pushers get their way. Only difference is that the 20A MCB will be replaced by a variable factor that few will know about in advance, and it'll be collective punishment for collective "over use" when the wind drop (or gets too high).
That is the primary reason for smart metering.

 

[Lectrician]

Last time I heard, the idea of being able to remotely switch a meter or meters off had been done away with?

Couple pics:

Consumer unit:

With trim off, showing sealing of MCB:

 

[bernardgreen]

We'll soon be like that over here if the windmill pushers get their way.

A windmill pusher who boasted she was happy paying more for her "green" sourced electricity was asked at a public meeting if she stopped using electricity if there was no wind. Her indignent reply was " of course not, there is always wind somewhere ( in the UK ). She lost all credibility.

 

[ericmark]

On a marina my son was at there were 2, 6, and 10A berths and one paid extra for the higher amperage.

However not sure on the league status? There are a number of things we were told when working in Sizewell we had to provide residential caravans with a 32A supply but for touring caravans there was no rule as to minimum provided.

With a 6A supply my son could run a 2.4kW washing machine. All down to the time it takes to trip.

However cup boilers are dangerous and they are the only way that with 500W one can make a cup of tea. So in the main the limit is raised to 5A and caravan type low wattage kettles are provided.

I am sure if the student union approached the university and pointed out the dangers of such a small supply the university would look again at the situation.

 

[JohnW2]

OnHowever cup boilers are dangerous and they are the only way that with 500W one can make a cup of tea. So in the main the limit is raised to 5A and caravan type low wattage kettles are provided. ... I am sure if the student union approached the university and pointed out the dangers of such a small supply the university would look again at the situation.

If they are anything like the Halls of 40 years ago, there will probably be kitchens with proper electricity supplies (and kettles). One assumes that this very low (500W) supply is probably an unmetered one. If the uni were to contemplate much more 'realistic' supplies, they would probably have to meter and charge 'per room' - and the cost of installation and administration of that would presumably be a major issue - it could even amount to a complete re-wire of the socket circuits. The building may also require a much more meaty supply - again, a potential cost issue.

Kind Regards, John