Mains
The term mains usually refers to the domestic electrical power supply (as in "I've connected the appliance to the mains."). The term is not usually used in the US and Canada.See also power connector for a list of connectors and voltages etc. in various areas.
- Australia and New Zealand: 230V, 50Hz AC
- Europe: 230V, 50Hz AC
- USA and Canada: 120V, 60Hz AC, and 220V 60Hz AC
- Japan: 100V, 50 or 60Hz
Following European voltage harmonization all electricity supply within the EU is now nominally 230V, +/- 10%. In practice this means that those countries (such as the UK) that previously supplied 240V continue to do so, and those that previously supplied 220V continue to do so. However equipment should be designed to accept any voltages within the specified range, and in practice most do so. Similarly, Australia has converted to 230V as the nominal standard, but 240V is within the allowable tolerance and "240 volt" spoken as "two-forty volt" remains an Australian English synonym for mains.
ANSI standard C84.1 and Canadian CAN3-C235 specify that the nominal voltage at the output should be 120V and allows a range of 114 - 126V. California deliberately runs in the voltage range 114-120V to reduce power consumption.
See also Three phase.
