eli5 Why do some appliances consume more power than others where it all get an input of 220v / 110v?
In: 0
Power is a product of voltage and current.
You can think of it using the water flow analogy: voltage is water pressure in the pipe, current is the size of the pipe, power is the volumetric flow rate, and energy is the amount of water moved.
The standard US outlet can do 15A @ 120V, but each appliance will only draw as much current as it needs (inversely proportional to its resistance given a fixed voltage).
So an appliance can draw anywhere between 0 and 15A (before it trips your breaker if it’s up to code), and can therefore dissipate anywhere between 0 and 1800W.
Latest Answers