# 110v v 240v

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/110v-v-240v/389956>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [January 29, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/110v-v-240v/389956 "2007-01-29T12:46:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![zhorik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@zhorik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zhorik)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/110v-v-240v/389956/1 "2007-01-29T12:46:43Z")

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Dear Cecil,  
according to wikpedia Originally Europe was electrified at 110-120 V like North America, but after World War II, regulators decided to increase it to 220-240 V to reduce the amount of copper used for wiring  
Thus the uk which had stations as early as 1890 originally had 110v but then later changed. As the americans had too many appliances it would have proved enormously expensive to switch.,

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**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/110v-v-240v/389956/2 "2007-01-29T14:01:44Z")

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[Link to column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_292.html)

> [@Cecil](#):
>
> By the time most European countries got around to making big time investments in electricity

There may have existed 110 stations in the UK, but I think Cecil is saying that they had few enough it was worth changing the system.

A rare case of Government taking the long view?

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/110v-v-240v/389956/3 "2007-01-29T20:40:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> according to wikpedia Originally Europe was electrified at 110-120 V like North America

There was no such unified system. Various localised ones, not always with compatible supplies, existed. 110V was one of various competing standards, with 220/240 being another.