2.4 APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRICITY Electricity in use Electricity use across different sectors After travelling from the power plant along the national grid, electricity arrives at our residences and places of work and leisure at a suitable voltage for a variety of uses, giving people the opportunity to live a comfortable life in their homes, to carry out many activities from entertainment to business and to have a safe working environment. The major uses of electricity occur in the following sectors: , to power household appliances, such as computers, TVs, cooling and heating systems, and lighting . Residential 1 , to carry out a huge variety of manufacturing processes. Industrial , for railway and underground train networks and for electric trams, buses, and cars. Transportation , to enable businesses, public offices, and facilities to fulfill their tasks. Commercial DO Watch this video and find out how much electricity household appliances commonly use. Which appliances consume the most? posted by Baxter Companies 1 How much electricity do my household items use? How electricity enters buildings Electricity can arrive via a , which is a wire that connects the to a building. The electricity runs through a meter which is monitored by the utility company , measure and record each property’s power consumption. Next to this, a device acts as an isolating link between the electrical mains and the internal wires of the building, so that electricity enters safely and efficiently. In fact, this device contains the , which controls the amount of power entering the building in order to prevent any risk of an overload. service drop/ cable utility pole to track cut-out main fuse How electricity is distributed around a building Two wires come out of the meter: a and a . Hot/live wires carry the current from the power supply to the outlet; neutral wires are also called ‘return’ wires because they complete the circuit, carrying the current back to the original source and from there to the ground by means of an , which ensures prevention against electric shock. 2 hot/live neutral wire earth wire DO Search the web and find out which colours are mainly used to identify the different wires in Europe. 2