ABC News posted a story re: Jacked Mains Voltage is increasing power bills - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 02:20:03 am
content: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-08/high-voltage-fuelling-increased-electricity-consumption/10460212"I was getting up once every three or four months to change light globes," he told 7.30. "And this is what led me to look at voltage."I'm being force-fed more electricity than I need," he said. After he realised the scale of the problem he started a company that specialises in filtering out extra voltage in homes and businesses.7.30 visited his house in Melbourne on a day when the grid was delivering electricity at 254 volts — just above the allowable voltage limit. "Based on the 254 volts I'm getting here, I'm roughly paying about $1,200 more for my electricity each year than I need to. "We have a major issue with regulating voltage across Australia. And it's getting worse."Voltage is essentially electrical pressure.It is the force that sends electrical current from power stations, through transmission lines, to your home or business. The nominal voltage for Australian households is 230 volts, but because voltage fluctuates all the time, electricity should be delivered within an allowable range of between 216 and 253 volts. For households in much of Australia, electricity is supplied with voltage towards the top end of that range and even just above the 253-volt limit. Depending on the appliances in your home, that can mean greater electricity consumption and bigger power bills. "Most customers just are not aware of it, so nothing happens about it," electrician Dean Spicer told 7.30."Once an appliance reaches saturation, that excess energy just burns off as heat, which is just money down the drain."But high-quality comprehensive data on the voltages supplied to households is not easy to come by. Voltage to households running high. 7.30 asked two companies to take a snapshot of electricity meters across most of Australia. Their findings give an indication of the scale of the issue. The metering company Metropolis sampled 12,012 electricity meters four times a day from October 19 to 30, in all states and territories except the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The readings taken at 1:00pm, when rooftop solar panels are boosting network voltage, averaged 245.8 volts — within allowable limits, but well above the 230 nominal level. But even at night, when extra voltage from solar power is not a factor, the network voltage is still running high. The average minimum reading recorded by Metropolis was 241.6 volts.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 02:30:51 am
content: I keep tabs on 2 of our 3 phases here (Perth) with a pair of APC UPS and a couple of modbus power meters. The UPS are about +/- 1.5V and the power meters are better than 1V accuracy (I check and calibrate them every 2 years).4-5 years ago we were seeing peaks of up to 270V on a warm summers day. Halogens do *not* like that. The grid has got it under better control over the last couple of years, but we still see north of 250V regularly.My current 24 hour power graph shows an average of 240-242V, a minimum of 234, a maximum of 249.4 and we're currently 240-243 on the two phases.(edit after verifying specs) Of course in WA we are 240 +/-6V (now. When I were a lad it was a *real mans voltage* at 250V). I didn't realise the East coast is 230V -6/+10.

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 02:47:43 am
content: Mine seems to fluctuate between 235 and 247 on average according to my solar inverters power meter. We only have a single phase.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 02:50:27 am
content: This is my current 24 hour and 7 day. It looks like the scale is somewhat expanded compared to yours.

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 03:22:24 am
content: My main query with this article is how much impact does the voltage actually have on the cost of the energy supplied? The article simplifies it too much IMO. Does this come down to one of those Power Factor discussions? My understanding was that even if the voltage increased, resistance on especially passive appliances remains constant, therefore current would drop.

author: tombi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 03:35:04 am
content: As a newb in this area - I don't get this.Wouldn't anything with an SMPS use *less* current at higher voltages (by just varying the switching cycle) and so consume the same power? Ditto anything with a thermostat will just turn off sooner and consume the same energy. So unless he is running a lot of incandescent globes where does this $1200 figure come from?My experience with this is - (1) At a club I help in Sydney we had a lot of problems with the voltage creeping above 260V and causing our PV inverter from kicking out. (2) At my previous home in the hills district of Sydney the voltage would dip as low as 218 on a hot day when everybody is running their AC units and pool filtersAlso I thought the grid was transitioning to 230 but some areas are still 240 but the article specifies 230.Tom

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 03:37:28 am
content: Quote from: optoisolated on November 08, 2018, 03:22:24 amI think they are mainly referring to ohmic appliances (stove, oven, hot water heater, incadescent lamp, radiator... so on) whereby an increased potential directly results in an increased power use. I have difficulty reconciling the magnitude of the increase in billable power they are referring to however as most of those referenced devices have thermostats, so they'd just run at a lower duty cycle.Quote from: optoisolated on November 08, 2018, 03:22:24 amV=IR. or R = V/I. If R is constant and you increase V, I has to increase. P=VI, so if you increase V and I increases as a result then your power must increase and it's power you are billed for.

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 03:41:28 am
content: In fairness if a kettle starts using more power, its going to boil quicker, and therefore, be on for less time. could an 8% increase in voltage make that much difference though? If his power bill is ~$1000 as he says, then even if you assume 100% passive appliances, then his power bill should have been $926. Something doesn't add up in this story.

author: flynwill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 04:52:48 am
content: Indeed the only consumption I can think of where his complaint has some validity would be the incandescent lighting, where the net result is the lamps are burning brighter where brighter isn't needed, and are subjected to shorter lives as a result. Generally the motors and all of the electronic loads will simply draw less current.In most ways it's better than the opposite problem my neighborhood suffers from in in the summer months when all of the AC units kick in at the same time.Attached graph is from my solar power system for a couple of days last summer, green trace is the power output, red trace is the voltage, you can see where the inverter drops offline due the voltage being too low (further aggravating the problem).

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 04:56:22 am
content: Do people still use incandescent bulbs these days?

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 05:10:43 am
content: Quote from: optoisolated on November 08, 2018, 04:56:22 amYep. Every lamp we have that is on a dimmer is incandescent. I also use halogens for work-lights, reading lights and floods.We do have a lot of LEDs, but there are still plenty of applications where I prefer the halogen for colour rendition, spread and/or penetration and the fact they actually generate heat.Oddly enough, when our power spikes super high we tend to lose more electronically ballasted lamps than incandescents. I've actually had 2 GU10 LED lamps spew flames. Thankfully I was actually in the room at the time and could deal with it before it got out of hand. They weren't E-bay cheapies either at $30/ea from a local electronics shop.So yeah, I have a lot of incandescent.

author: sibeen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 05:20:39 am
content: Yeah, $1,200 more because the voltage is a tad high – ROFL, and I bet he’s got something to sell. It's a bullshit articleA lot of this comes back to Australia deciding to play nice with others and standardise on the IEC voltage of 230/400 volts. Generally states in Australia produced voltage at 240/415 volts, the UK, NZ and others are in the same boat, there were countries in the IEC world who produced voltage at 230/400 and others who produced at 220/380 volts. They all got together and decided to ‘normalise’ the standard voltage to 230/400.So our standards in Oz changed. The voltage didn’t, it has stayed a nice healthy 240 volts or thereaboutsFrom memory the old standard was something like 240V plus/minus 10%. So the range was 216 to 264. With the new standard they tightened it up to 230 + 10% – 6%, so the range is now 216 at the low end to 253 at the high. The one thing the article does have correct is what a pain in the arse solar production is for the energy providers. The network really wasn’t designed for it and the solar causes voltage rises onto the grid.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 06:11:31 am
content: I have to wonder how much electricity costs and how much he's using in order to get an extra $1200 a year. $1200 is significantly more than I spend on electricity a year in total!That wide variation is a bit surprising though, I've monitored one side of my panel from time to time and I don't think I've ever seen it lower than 118V or higher than 122V and usually it's pretty much bang on within 0.5V of 120V so ~236-244V across the whole service.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 06:41:04 am
content: Dang, how much is his power bill then? If we assume the 10% higher voltage makes him assume 10% higher cost then he must be spending $12 000 per year on power. What the heck is he running? A bitcoin mining farm?At least he is getting proper voltage. Due to living in a more rural area the grid here is pretty old here and yet power consumption started going up rapidly. A lot of it is due to heatpumps becoming popular. Because of the unstable power i set up a multimeter to monitor one of the phases and log it. What i found was that at times the voltage dipped as low as 180V or being as high as 240V at times. Sending the graphs to the electrical company we finally managed to get them to run a new low voltage cable for this part of the village. Now the voltage tends to be on the high side at 240V but we are the one of the first houses on that new line, but its stable there with no significant dips.The reason we pressured them into it is that dad put up a 10kW solar installation on the house and the inverter was really not happy with the voltage dipping to 180V and locking itself into a safe mode.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 06:51:50 am
content: Quote from: BradC on November 08, 2018, 03:37:28 amNo it's power over time (kW/h), so if the duty cycle is reduced, less power is used in that time period.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 07:42:11 am
content: Quote from: BradC on November 08, 2018, 02:30:51 amYes, it was 250v.Everything worked OK, until the light globe manufacturers decided that making globes in Australia was a "mugs game".Unlike the 240v Oz made ones, the imported ones often lasted less than a year, so "260v" ones were imported & sold at a considerable markup.They weren't measurably better, so much whinging ensued, until the then, SECWA, at great expense, changed the supply voltage to 240vThe light globes didn't last much longer, but by now, compact fluorescent globes were being pushed hard, as having longer life, as well as being more efficient.The younger people had never seen the old type incandescents with a decent length of life, so fell for the pitch.Compact fluoros were pretty dire, as were the first generation LED globe replacements, but finally, LEDs are now quite good.------if you don't mind the RF interference they generate!

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 07:44:27 am
content: Quote from: sibeen on November 08, 2018, 05:20:39 amYes- the Australian standard changed in 2000. Before the change it was 240V +6% -10%. To become more in line with Europe, it changed to 230V +10% -6%.Do the math ... have a laugh. I smiled when I did.......A bureaucratic master stroke.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 08:28:53 am
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on November 08, 2018, 06:51:50 amI think you missed the bit where the voltage went up, therefore the current went up, therefore the power went up. I'm pretty naff at communicating, so I probably was unclear.We are talking about an appliance with a thermostat. It wants a kilowatt hour whether it gets it in 30 minutes or 40 minutes. More power from the resistive element means you need it on for less time to get the same energy output, so the duty cycle decreases but the billed power remains the same. My argument is an increased voltage results in more power output from the device. You are billed on power. On a device with a thermostat it's a moot point, but on something like an incandescent lamp then you are being billed for more.Now, do I think his figures are hysterically inflated? Sure.Our summer power bill is about $1200 for the 60 day period. Even if every device in my house was resistive and uncontrolled there is no way know to man I could account for even $100 extra for that period. So yeah he's talking out of his arse, or the ABC reporter has got it wrong (wouldn't be the first time).Quote from: vk6zgo on November 08, 2018, 07:42:11 amI used to buy a couple of boxes of them every time I stopped over in Qatar or Dubai. Proper long life incandescents. I've not been there in a few years now and I used the last lamp a couple of months ago. I'm now onto the "halogen" equivalents which last 1/4 of the time (and even less if they are dimmed unlike real incandescents which last *longer* when under-driven).

author: JackJones
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 09:32:23 am
content: "After he realised the scale of the problem he started a company that specialises in filtering out extra voltage in homes and businesses."I wonder how they do it? Big Clive released an interesting video recently, if you connect the secondary of a transformer in series with the primary, depending on which way it's connected you either add or subtract the secondary voltage to the mains:You could do it like this locally without having to tinker with any utility transformers or anything dicky like that. I wonder if you could adjust the secondary somehow based on the mains, that way it would regulate the voltage to the desired value.

author: mzzj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 09:39:50 am
content: Quote from: optoisolated on November 08, 2018, 03:41:28 amGoddammit, where is the Ohm's law when needed?8% increase in voltage causes 16,6% increase in power and that's what you pay for in the imaginary case of passive, constant-on resistive load.(Of course that case is 400% unrealistic but anyways)

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 12:11:13 pm
content: So... wont make any tangible difference for anything digital, motors, or resistive (heating) loads with thermostats... So, basically everything? Nice job, ABC.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 12:42:52 pm
content: Well it does make a difference with brushed motors as they will run a bit faster but im pretty sure your blender or angle grinder don't make up that much of the total power usage in a home.Besides they have more oomph when overvolted so that's only a good thing.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 08:02:39 pm
content: Quote from: optoisolated on November 08, 2018, 03:22:24 amThe meters multiply instantaneous voltage times instantaneous current to give instantaneous power.Some devices (computers, induction motors) draw roughly constant power, so raising voltage reduces current.Heating devices and old incandescent light bulbs draw more current as voltage rises, so they draw more current.If you increase voltage 10% above nominal, power draw increases by 21%, and the meter will accurately record that.This guy's electric bill must be QUITE impressive for the increase to be $1200.Jon

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 08:57:25 pm
content: Quote from: mzzj on November 08, 2018, 09:39:50 amDon't forget that resistance will also increase due to higher temperature. Out of curiosity I measured it on an old car headlamp bulb I have lying around, for an 8% increase (12.00 > 12.96V) gave a power increase of 13.45%

author: optoisolated
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 08, 2018, 11:42:36 pm
content: Guy has a lot of kettles.Or a lot of sunlamps

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 12:02:21 am
content: Or he's got a hemp farm in his basement.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 12:58:57 am
content: Quote from: optoisolated on November 08, 2018, 02:20:03 amI saw this segment and they didn't show 254V, it was 244VI'd love to know how he's going to "filter out extra voltage"

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 01:01:49 am
content: Quote from: tombi on November 08, 2018, 03:35:04 amHe either made it up or is just plain wrong.Other parts of the story were cringe worthy, interviewing a couple who said something like "wefeelas though we are using extra power"

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 01:02:00 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 09, 2018, 12:58:57 amHe's gonna put a honkin' big power resistor in series with his mains feed!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 01:06:15 am
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on November 08, 2018, 07:42:11 amThe lights in the video the guy was complaining about changing more frequently were insealed enclosures.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 02:44:26 am
content: Yeah this whole fact free video really annoyed me.@EEVBlog can you do a video debunking many of the claims in this. Then ask it to be run on ABC as a response. Or even on Media Watch?

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 04:54:32 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 09, 2018, 12:58:57 amHe could install a transformer as big as a fridge.This is what CH 7 did in Perth so they could use 220/381v Siemens transmitters on the then WA 250/433v system.Of course, that is only a fixed reduction, but they also used , as did their neighbours up the road,Automatic Voltage Regulators (AVRs).These were motorised transformers which adjusted their ac output to maintain the selected level.These were later replaced with "Power Conditioners" which do the same thing, & more.

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 06:53:30 am
content: I noted my solar installation was cycling on and off on particularly sunny days due to excessive voltage rise of the mainswhihc is not hard to comprehend, I am at the end of the line so anyting that got injected ahead of me would elevate the voltage.So in desperation i wrote a letter to my MP who allegedly passed it onto the then minister for energy who is no longer the minister for that portfolio.Dont know what happened to my letter but i noted line voltages have been reduced so much so that my inverter hardly ever drops out nowadays.Inverter voltmeter indicates a grid voltage of 238Volts presently ( end of sunny day , 16:50 eastern standard time).What ever and whoever ... thank You . I am generating more power now and selling it into the grid at $0.52/kWh.My quarterly bills are always in credit but then again I paid 11KAUD for a 5kW system.

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 10:12:12 am
content: The usual distribution transformers have some extra taps for voltage adjustment. So the utility companies could adjust the voltage range in some ares. Those living close to a transformer might get a little higher voltage essentially all day and those at the far end might get a little low voltage under high load conditions.With a lot of solar power send to the grid, the voltage can change a little more, as the load to the transformer is no longer 0 - 100% but could be -100% to +100 % in theory.The utility might be tempted to set the voltage relatively high, so that PV inverters drop out because of too high a voltage on days with a lot of sun and little demand (e.g. cool sunny days).If one would use a transformer to reduce the voltage a little, this would not have to be that large, as the transformer would only need to be rated for the current and voltage difference - so something like 5% of the power to get a 5% voltage drop.

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 06:12:58 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 09, 2018, 01:06:15 amFor those aware of the issue, lights inside sealed fixtures have a shorter life.I found Halogen lamps to have massively reduced life if put inside glass lamp covers, due to overheating.Yet as incandescent bulbs are banned in Australia (mostly), Halogen lamps appear to be a suitable replacement, but aren't in this case.Compact Fluro bulbs aren't that much better as they contain electronics as well, and Australia only gets the crap quality ones.That leaves LED lamps, as they produce less heat to start with.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 02:10:21 am
content: I haven't really noticed an issue with sealed fixtures, some of my longest lived lights are in fully enclosed fixtures. A couple of them outside where I was routinely getting ~8000 hours out of CFLs and the current LEDs I don't know because they've been installed since 2011 and none have failed yet running dusk till dawn every night. The thing that helped the CFL life greatly was infrequent starts. Incandescent I have a hard time believing a fully enclosed fixture would significantly affect the lifespan but it's been so long since I've used a standard incandescent lamp I don't even know anymore. I phased them out fully almost 20 years ago and it always surprises me when I hear of someone still using them for general illumination.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 05:01:47 am
content: That story was a hoot. Thanks for sharing. Is ABC trying to compete with Bloomberg to make the biggest fluff news?Bloomberg still wins, though.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 07:51:29 am
content: Quote from: schmitt trigger on November 09, 2018, 12:02:21 amA well air conditioned one.

author: timenutgoblin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 05:05:35 am
content: i tried the idea of using a transformer to increase/decrease the mains AC voltage at the GPO and realised that the net effect is that not only does the appliance consume energy in order to operate but the transformer also consumes energy in order to produce an EMF that can then push against the mains AC voltage at the GPO to power the appliance resulting in more energy being consumed overall than simply powering the appliance directly from a GPO without the transformer.in principle yes lowering the mains AC voltage may reduce the energy consumption of an appliance but using a transformer to achieve this is uneconomical. YMMV...

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 06:42:24 am
content: You can adjust the mains voltage with a transformer quite efficiently if you use a trick.If you want to turn 230V into 220V what you can do is take a 220V to 10V transformer, connect the primary to the input 230V but then connect the secondary in series with the input. Depending on the phasing you then get 220V or 240V on the other side.All the actual power is flowing trough the thick wire secondary of the transformer. On a small 40VA transformer would be designed for 4A 10V. So we can have 240V 4A on the output and that's 960VA. So you are using a 40W rated transformer to transform 1kW. Not much heat is produced and you can use a bigger more overrated transformer to reduce losses further.This trick however only works for small voltage differences. If you tried to turn 110V into 220V then your transformer would need to be rated for 500VA to handle 1000VA of output. But for the purpose of regulating mains you only really need +/- 30V of adjustment range. Just add a circuit that adjusts the voltage and phase going into the transformer primary and you can vary your 220V mains from 190V to 250V for 10kW output with a device the size of a shoe box.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 07:07:39 am
content: Quote from: timenutgoblin on February 13, 2019, 05:05:35 amI keep doing a double take every time I see people referring to the GPO in the context of electricity. What has the General Post Office to do with the electrical supply?

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 07:41:36 am
content: GPO == general purpose Outlet...the gozauta hole for lectric

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 07:49:04 am
content: Quote from: sibeen on November 08, 2018, 05:20:39 amI bet he failed to correctly account for all the appliances that produce heat.Probably just said, X more volts = Y more amps in appliance X so i'm paying Z more money.Won't have considered things like the cloths dryer drawing more power yes, but taking less time to dry your clothes. Or the stove elements drawing more power but for shorter bursts due to thermostat.He'll probably get it fixed and become annoyed that his jug/kettle is taking too long to boil water now

author: brucehoult
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 08:21:20 am
content: What I haven't seen anyone discuss is the effect of a high or low voltage on the electricity meter. How do they work and what do they actually measure?I know the output is labelled as kWh, but is it really? Or do they actually measure (integrate) amps and just assume the voltage is 240? What happens if you put a meter calibrated for 240V on a 110V supply? Does it still get the kWh about right, or does it over-read the kWh by a factor of 2, or something else?If the meter is actually measuring amps, and the house has most of the load from things that adjust for higher voltage by lowering the current or lowering the duty cycle (and thus average current) -- if that's how it works then he' might be being *undercharged* for energy use.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 09:36:32 am
content: Mechanical and electronic power meters both measure actual Watts.Here is an explanation of how the mechanical meters do it:

author: LapTop006
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 02:17:36 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on November 08, 2018, 06:11:31 amAU$1200 a year is a bit less than what I pay for power in Sydney despite electric cooking, hot water, and an old fridge that probably wastes a few kilowatt hours a day (no aircon though).Roughly a quarter of my bill is the fixed charge, the rest ~9kWh/day usage (31c per kWh).Probably time to do a plan comparison again.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 04:48:57 pm
content: Is that:https://www.abc.net.au/newsa legit site which blundered or is it a fake news site?I do feel sad for the guy which solar panel installation shuts down because of over voltage, but my first question would be if it is the right system and rated for Australian Mains voltage instead of the Cheapes Chinesium.If they all start adding transformers in the way Big Clive suggests, this wont happen, but Australia has lots of sun and everybody's solar panels pushing more voltage onto the mains could become a big problem if enough people start doing this.Worldwide unified mains Voltage (and frequency and plugs) is a good thing. The world is just getting too small for all this shit.Even in the Americans, where inches are still being used, it seems that split phase transformers to upp the nominal 110Vac to somewhat near the worldwide more common 230Vac seems to become more common.Edit:Glanced at some random articles on that ABC news site and it does not seem to be much better than those notoriously bad Brittisch pulp news sites.

author: brucehoult
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 11:25:30 pm
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on February 13, 2019, 04:48:57 pmI've heard even the yanks run things like ovens and clothes dryers off 230, so it must be generally available in homes.I'm in the process of moving there, and wondering whether I could get that run to a few NZ/Aus style sockets. For a decent electric kettle, if nothing else.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2019, 12:23:42 am
content: Quote from: brucehoult on February 13, 2019, 11:25:30 pmLocally approved 240v sockets are available in the USA.The plugs are a bit fiddly to connect compared to Oz ones, though (madly over engineered).

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2019, 12:54:37 am
content: Quote from: brucehoult on February 13, 2019, 11:25:30 pm240V is available in almost every home in the USA. Has been for a long time. The main power feed is 240V split phase, so 120V and 240V are both available. 240V in the kitchen isn't common, but an electrician could take care of that for you. There are several standard 240V plugs and sockets from 15A to 50A.