Higher voltage does not inherently provide any more power but for a given current, higher voltage provides a linearly higher power assuming a zero power factor (i.e. pure resistive load). Safe wire guage requirements depend completely on current. What this means is if 12awg wire is considered safe for maximum current of 20A for the given length run, then having 240v on that circuit would provide twice the power as compared to a 120v circuit. So, given real world limitation and conditions, it can be said that more power can be delivered using higher voltage. As for efficiency, you have to look at the problem in another way. Given two 2400W appliances, one running on 120v and another running at 240v. The 120v would be running at 20A whereas the 240v would be running at 10A, again assuming zero power factor pure resistive load. That would result in the the 120v appliance having 4x the line loss (power lost to the transmission line) because P = I^2 * R. With a given resistance, double the current means quadruple the power. That said, the wire R is very low given large enough cabling so even quadruple the power is still very low compared to the delivered 2400W. BTW, this is the main reason high voltage transmission lines are used for long distances. US long distance high voltage lines are > 100kv (or even more than 200kv) which allow for a large amount of power with reasonably low current.

Marti, you cannot go wrong with a stainless steel sink undermounted. I HATE to clean the rims of a kitchen sink which is bedded from the top. Gunk always collects. And here is the sink I bought from Overstock.com but not yet installed. I have all my appliances out in the Teahouse waiting. That is called "planning ahead," and their cost will not be included in the remodel cost of the kitchen. Been buying things for almost two years now. Still must get the pendant lights, but we'll decide on that a little later. By WE I mean MOI. DH said he was staying out of this. :) My sink 30 x 18 x 10d made by Kraus. SOUND DEADENING ADDED.

In wintertime in a freezing cold climate, the coldest point in a room determines the psychological feeling of comfort/discomfort. If a room's thermometer reads 70 or 75 degrees Fahrenheit one might feel very cold because that thermometer is not at the coldest spot in the room, and ALSO because there might be a heat sink (cold source) like large windows, a leaky wall, or a large cold-feeling thermal mass. Any large cold thermal mass is felt as "Cold". Heat (and its opposite, called Antiheat or Cold) radiate through space, so a large Cold thermal mass near a window will feel even colder because it acts as a heat sink (a cold source). In some climates, floors in large buildings are heated. In these buildings one feels a sense of comfort because the building is warm no matter how much cold air comes in when a thousand people traipse in and out. First, the building is huge so it has its large mass to begin with. Then, that mass is heated. In a "home" one may attempt to get the same sense of comfort using whole-house floor heat (hydronic) or spot applications of heat (either hydronic or electric). It's the sense of comfort that is The Goal. A warm floor, not hot. When one's feet and ankles are kept warm, the rest of one's body needs far less heat-coddling. You feel cold less often, or never. They write this out, on web sites that sell electric floor heat cables. If you are in a warm climate, don't even think about commenting on this. As circuspeanut graciously pointed out, those that don't live in very bitter climates really can't say how they'd react. To be fair to this subject, refrain from ewwing, and refrain from commenting that you wouldn't be able to live in the north because it's freezing cold there. When a floor is heated, heat from the floor travels up the legs of tables, chairs, and furniture. (Whether or not you may feel it.) Heat from the floor also travels up the counter return (side) panel if you have one on the end of your counter run. Heat travels (radiates) through space too, coming up from below. They write this out, on web sites that sell electric floor heat cables. If you are in a warm climate, don't even think about commenting on this. If you have moved around a lot and seen (felt) winter cold in very different climates affecting you in totally different ways depending on how the building was built and how it was heated, you may be able to confirm some of this, or all of it. People who have worked in big buildings in Edmonton or Winnipeg will certainly be able to confirm this. One of my sisters has lived in SF and area twice in her life for several years at a time. She comments that in SF the homes feel cold in the winter, but not in the north or northeast where she has also lived for many years. brickeyee has explained why a large mass is cold (feels cold) even though is temperature is the same as the room's temperature. Heat in this thread is gentle warmth; it does not mean "HOT"; it does not mean you might want a hot countertop; it does not mean you might want to melt butter. There ARE some countertops on some dining room buffets that are designed to keep hot food hot. This is not the subject here. Here, the concept is gentle warmth. They make minor circuits that keep fridge door gaskets warm. (Fridge manufacturers put them into some fridges, inside the fridge metal wall, next to the gasket). The warmth these "cables" put out prevents condensation from occurring on the door gasket. A puny circuit of that size can make a difference. They are easy to buy as spare parts in any refrigeration supply store. A bigger circuit of the size they sell for a small bathroom floor can also make a difference. They are easy to buy from a number of web sites. These circuits (cables) have sheathing; they are not exposed. They get warm, not hot like the wire in a toaster. The cable can be strung along to warm up the perimeter of the counter instead of spacing it densely as is done in floor heat applications. (Gluing it and protecting it is a subject for another day). "it's gonna Feel very cold in the winter no matter what" is the way to say it to get brickeyee to agree. Having a warmer counter will keep hot coffee hot for a few more minutes. Having a warmer counter will cause the room to feel warm, or warmer than otherwise. All heat is good to have (when in a freezing cold climate). The true heat output is true heat is real heat is therefore less heat needed from the other thingies that produce and radiate heat.

We have had almost the exact same issue with our corian. The builder wouldn't even come to check it only went by the pictures we sent. Then blamed it all on something "very hot" had to do that! I can tell you now, it did not. There is also a large dip or warp over the dishwasher. When we pulled it out there is absolutely no heat barrier or insulation to protect the corian. The installer also never sealed the sink basin. Which we found out the hard way when our sink overflowed. The installer/builder takes no blame Won't even come to look or tell us what we can do. There is a ten year warranty on the corian, we've been fighting this for over two years now. The ten year warranty will be up in September of this year. What can we do???