RE: UK Voltage

["Roger" <roger@xxxxxxx>]

Keeping to the HA theme, at least directives such as the Low Voltage
directive mean that I now can buy and legally use HA equipment sold in
Belgium, for instance, in the UK.

The main purpose of these directives is to drive costs to consumers down,
and remove barriers to entry for smaller enterprises making equipment
(really!), and allow cross-boarder purchasing

Have to confess some self interest here, though, as I am involved in a
European research consortium for standardisation - anyone interested in the
5th or 6th IST framework, just ask

If we can just get some agreement on the power connectors on the wall....


Roger Shingler


> Thanks for the politics Martin,
> Now would you mind very much not doing it again?
>
> This group is about Home automation, and we likely have
> wildly different
> views on
> religion, politics and dress sense. Which are *all* of zero
> relevance to our
> discussions.
>
> Cheap digs at Europe? No Thanks.
>
> As it is, European utility companies *HAVE* changed their
> supply voltages,
> from 220 to 230 as there are major savings to be made in
> transmission losses
> UK companies have not, probably for the same reason.
>
> The only side effect for us is that we get much less life from our
> lightbulbs.
> (and probably other appliances)
>
> Phillips who(in common with other lamp manufacturers) produce
> a single 230V
> product for pan-european use
> state:
> "A 230V lamp operated at 240V will only achieve 55% of its life.
> Tests have been carried out on a sample of some domestic ceramic
> pendant fittings with a single 60W lamp. The user safety was
> infringed at two locations at 240V - the lamp cap and the
> bifurcation point. It was infringed at four locations on the
> lamp/luminaire at 250V - the lamp cap, the bifurcation point, the
> cord grip at the entry to the lamp holder, and the cable insulation
> under the cord grip. The UK supply voltage does at times fluctuate
> as high as 250V."
>
> Ian.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Martin Greenwood [mailto:martin@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 15 March 2002 14:06
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx; ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ukha_d] UK Voltage
>
>
> At 13:51 15/03/2002 +0000, Jonathan Bradshaw wrote:
> >I've got a nice rackmount APC SmartUPS 1400 (thanks to eBay)
> and late last
> >night I noticed a warning light. Turns out it had started
> clamping the
> >voltage due to it hitting 253V AC. This morning it seems around
248V.
> >
> >Coming from the US, a UPS is a near essential in the number
> of "brownouts"
> >and power failures that happen -- especially during the
> harsh winters of
> >the midwest :-)
> >
> >I was slightly suprised to see the voltage level since I had
> thought UK
> >had moved down from 240 and Europe had moved up to provide a
> european 230V
> >standard?
>
> Voltage didn't change anywhere....just the spec, now single
> spec across
> euroland!! Typical Euro nonsense.
>
> Now spec is something like 230V +/- 10%
>
> This makes sense as then 253V would be a cutoff point which
> is what your
> UPS is doing.
>
> Martin
>
>
>
>
> For more information: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk
> Post message: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subscribe:  ukha_d-subscribe@xxxxxxx
> Unsubscribe:  ukha_d-unsubscribe@xxxxxxx
> List owner:  ukha_d-owner@xxxxxxx
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/




For more information: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk
Post message: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subscribe:  ukha_d-subscribe@xxxxxxx
Unsubscribe:  ukha_d-unsubscribe@xxxxxxx
List owner:  ukha_d-owner@xxxxxxx

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/