Electricity in your home

Circuits

• An electrical circuit is a path between two points in

which an electrical current flows.

• Our homes are filled with circuits of varying size

and complexity.

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Your home electrical system

• Essential parts of your home electrical system are:

• transformer, advanced meter, circuit panel, circuit breakers

(for each circuit), wiring, switches, outlets and loads (e.g.

appliances, lights)

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Individual circuits in your home

• Individual circuits run from the circuit panel to

appliances and devices, then back. Examples include:

• hot water tank

• refrigerator

• lights and plug outlets

• stove

• dryer

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Electrical safety at home

• Circuits in your home safely supply power to appliances

and devices.

• Many electrical safety features are present in

your home.

• We need to be aware of hazards that can cause deadly

shocks or fires.

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Electrical safety at home

• Circuit breakers protect circuits from excess current or

short circuits.

• Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs), found in

many newer kitchen and bathroom electrical outlets,

detect any change in current and shut off the current.

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Alternating current (AC)

• Alternating current changes direction regularly, creating

a voltage of 120V.

• Homes in BC are mostly powered by AC.

• AC allows voltage to be increased or decreased using a

transformer (from high voltage in power lines to 120V to

240V in homes).

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Alternating current (AC)

• Most home circuits are supplied with 120V AC power.

• Some circuits use 240V for appliances such as:

• dryers

• electric stoves

• baseboard heaters

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Direct current (DC)

• Direct current (DC) is electrical current that flows in

one direction.

• It’s used for digital controls and small circuits in our

homes and appliances.

• AC can be converted to DC using an adaptor which is

built into many home devices.

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AC and/or DC?

• Many household devices convert AC to DC in order to

function (e.g. laptops, plasma TV).

• Other devices use both AC and DC. For example, a

coffee maker uses AC for the hot plate but DC for the

digital controls.

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Energy efficiency at home

• Efficiency means reducing the amount of energy used

to provide the same service. For example:

• A better insulated home will increase energy savings over a less

insulated one.

• Energy-efficient light bulbs use less electricity to produce the same

amount of light.

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Energy efficiency at home

• Installing a more efficient

furnace or hot water heater can

save energy at home.

• We can also conserve energy

by making our homes less

drafty (e.g. with

weatherstripping and caulking)

and better insulated.

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EnerGuide and ENERGY STAR®

• EnerGuide is a label that tells

you the energy consumption

and efficiency of electrical

appliances so you can

compare options.

• ENERGY STAR is a label and

rating system that identifies

energy-efficient products.

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Energy-efficient lighting

• Compact fluorescent lights

(CFLs) are common high-

efficiency bulbs, using 75 per

cent less electricity than an

incandescent bulb.

• Light emitting diode (LED)

bulbs cost more than CFLs, but

are even more efficient and

last much longer.

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Energy-efficient equipment

• Energy-efficient equipment, some with advanced digital

components, helps us to conserve energy in our homes.

Examples include:

• programmable thermostats

• space and water heating systems

• DC motor appliances (e.g. lighting timers)

• LED bulbs

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Advanced meters

• Advanced meters are electronic devices that measure,

record and wirelessly transmit information about your

home’s electricity use.

• They provide real-time information to help you

understand how you are using electricity in the home.

• This helps you target ways to conserve energy which

results in saving money.

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Summary

• Your home electrical system has many circuits to power

lights and appliances.

• Safety features are built into the electrical system.

• Home circuits involve AC or DC power at 120V or 240V.

• There are many ways to save energy at home

including energy-efficient technologies for space and

water heating.

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