220 volt outlet questions

[towncarblue]

hello. im moving into a condo[townhouse style]the condo is about 10 years old. in the locations that the a/c is supposed to be wall mounted there are 220v outlets.my knowledge for this type of voltage is kinda low .

1. what happends if i plug in a 110v a/c to to this outlet?

2.i have a small room in the condo that only requires about [7,500 btu]
but i cant find any 220v a/c less than 12,000 btu. what can i do?

3. my home inspector told me that 220v outlets use less electricity[thus lower electrical bills] , is this true?

4. the condo comes with a 220v electric dryer. i was thinking of replacing it with a gas model [and routing the gas from the boiler room]. my home inspector told me " since the outlet is 220v it wont affect your electrical bill that much. is this true?

[towncarblue]

figured out question 1 [ the a/c would break]

[HayZee518]

Electricity 101 - "you can neither create nor destroy energy - however you can convert it." Electrical theory - as voltage goes up, amperage goes down by half. So if you had a lamp operating on 120 volts and 60 watts it would draw .5 amps. The same lamp operating on 240 volts would draw .25 amps. The wattage stayed the same, the amperage was halved. The only coupla reasons for operating at a higher voltage is smaller wire size and efficiency goes up. Efficiency goes up because of less amps and less line losses due to heating. So your electrical inspector isn't totally correct. Probably that line is a dedicated line to the panelbox, so you can search for the breaker, shut it off and re-wire the outlet for 120 volts. { I really don't think you'd find a 120 volt plug to fit the 240 because the 120 volt one is polaraized only to fit a parallel blade outlet. } Use a 120 volt 15/20 amp receptacle and change the breaker. If you do this, move the white wire to the neutral strip.

[596]

As hayzee mentioned, a 240 volt outlet could be converted to a 120 volt outlet. It needs to be done correctly, so I would recommend an electrician.

You do have the option of getting a 240 volt wall unit which is both a COOLING and a HEATING unit. This may be advantageous in the winter if it allows you to avoid running the central heat as much.

In most areas, it is much cheaper to operate a gas clothes dryer than an electric one. A quick call to your utility company would confirm which is the cheaper choice in your area.

[towncarblue]

im assuming that a 12,000 btu a/c running on 220v would be more efficient [cheaper electricity bill] than a 12,000 btu a/c on 110v because it draws less current . is this true?

[HayZee518]

technically yes, but check the wattage. inside you have a compressor which is a motor. you may have a dual purpose motor both evaporator fan and condenser fan. you may have seperate motors for condenser and evap fan. BTu-s are the cooling or heating values. ok I re-read your question. it all comes down to watts. example. 12,000 btu a/c - 240 volts 10 amps. P=E x I. P = 240 x 10 = 2400 watts -- 12,000 btu a/c - 120 volts 20 amps. same formula P = E x I.
120 volts x 20 amps = 2400 watts.
your electricity bill is figured on KwHr or thousand watt hours. look at your electric bill - they charge so much per KwH .004/Kwh

[Speedy Petey]

3. my home inspector told me that 220v outlets use less electricity[thus lower electrical bills] , is this true?

im assuming that a 12,000 btu a/c running on 220v would be more efficient [cheaper electricity bill] than a 12,000 btu a/c on 110v because it draws less current . is this true?

Your HI needs to go back to electrical school to find a clue.

Think about it. 12,000 BTU is 12,000 BTU. BOTH provide the same cooling.
Yes, the SAME size appliance will draw half the current at 240v, BUT will do so on two hot legs as opposed to one. So if the A/C draws 12 amps @ 120v, it will draw 6 amps @ 240v.
12x1=12
6x2=12
12=12

OK, 240v is slightly more efficient than 120v, especially with regard to motors. BUT....this is negligible when you are talking about 1, 2 or even 3 appliances. You'll NEVER actually "see" the savings. Unless you have your electrical bill budgeted down to the penny.