 Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we didn't have electricity? It's easy to see what electricity does for us, but what IS electricity? Electricity is a form of energy. Energy is the power to do and move things, and to make things work. We have found many ways to harness electricity's power and use it.
Electricity begins with atoms, the basic unit of all matter. Atoms are tiny particles that are to small to see and make up everything around us. Electrons orbit around the atom's center, or nucleus at a very high speed. When electricity contacts an object, it causes the electrons in the atoms of that object to move. The electrons don't move very far, just to the next atom. The outside force that moves the atoms is called voltage. This movement of electrons produces eletricity.
 Materials that are conductors allow electricity to flow easily through them because the electrons in the atoms of conductors move easily. Metals are good conductors. That's why electrical wires are made of metal. The wires that transport electricity to your outlet in your home are made of metals such as copper and aluminum. Water is another great conductor and since your body is 70% water, electricity can travel through you and cause serious injury or death.
Materials that are insulators resist the flow of electricity because the electrons in the atoms of insulators
 do not move easily. Insulators are used to keep electricity from leaving the wires it travels on. Glass, plastic, or ceramic insulators high up on the power poles keep electricity from traveling down the pole to the ground. Insulating materials also keep electricity inside appliance cords. If the cord becomes frayed or damaged, the insulating materials can not protect you from the shock of electricity. Also, if you overload an outlet by plugging in too many things, cord insulation can overheat and melt, causing a shock.
 Electricity travels in a loop called a circuit. A circuit begins at a power plant and travels through a grid of power lines. Transmission wires on tall towers carry electricity to places called substations all around our community. These substations contain equipment that reduces electricity's voltage so it can travel on smaller power lines to your home. The pressure of the current is called voltage. The voltage is reduced again from the substations by transformers on poles or on the ground so people can use electricity safely. It then travels through your home's electrical wiring to the lights, wall switches and outlets, then back through the wiring and out to the power lines again. When you switch on an appliance, such as a hair dryer, TV or radio, you complete the circuit.
 Electric energy is a good traveler! It comes from a power plant through wires to lights and electrical outlets in your home. When you turn on a light, you're drawing electricity all the way from a power plant to your light bulb. That power plant may be several hundred miles away. It's a good thing electricity can travel 186,000 miles per second!
Amperage (amps for short) is a measure of the amount of electricity used. Voltage (volts) measures the pressure, or force, of electricity. The amps multiplied by the volts gives you the wattage (watts), a measure of the work that electricity does.
A watt measures the amount of work done by electrical power. It takes more power to run a hair dryer on high (1500 W) than on low (800 W). A kilowatt hour is an amount of force (1,000 watts) passing through a gateway (your meter) over a period of time (an hour). A 100-watt light bulb turned on for 10 hours uses one kilowatt hour of electricity. Alternately, a 10-watt nightlight could be on for 100 hours before a kilowatt hour of electricity. Use energy wisely.
Water, Gas and Light is here to keep electricity working for you and your family.
|
