Re: so much wrong here...
"US electrics are scary. It helps a bit that they're only 110V so less likely to be lethal,"
Au contraire. The decision to use 110V electrics in the US makes them more rather then less dangerous. The reason for this is because apparently US electrical engineers didn't realise that the heating effect in a wire is proportional to I^2*R. To run the same power appliance at half the voltage means that the current must be double but the heating effect in the conductors is four times greater at 110V than at 220V. Also conductors need to be massive to supply enough current.
The end result is under-specced electrical distribution systems within domestic premises with a propensity to overheat and cause fires.
USA 160 fixed wiring fires per million residents
UK 43 fixed wiring fires per million residents
Sources:
USA - ESFI Home Electrical Fires report
UK - ONS Fire Statistics England
Biting the hand that feeds IT
