There is no difference in the amount of energy a 240 volt appliance uses compared to the amount of electricity a 120 volt appliance uses. The reason this is true and you do not pay more to run a 240volt device than a 120volt device is because the electric company only charges for watt-hours and not voltage. Watt-hours are calculated with the formula “volts X amps = watts.” The higher the volts, the lower the amps. Twice and many volts require half as many amps, thus keeping the wattage usage the same.
One last myth to debunk is the notion that some people have that some electrical wiring problem can cause “leaking” of the electricity out of the wires, thus “wasting” the electricity, kind of like a leaky pipe will waste water if water leaks out and is not used. This is also not true, and it is very easy to check. Just unplug everything in your house. Be sure to also unplug appliances which, even though they are not in use still use electricity in stand-by mode, such as microwaves, stereo systems, TVs and lots more. When you are sure everything is unplugged go look at your meter. It won’t be turning around, indicating that you are really not using any electricity, and there are no “leaks.”
