On Electrical Rooms

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Electrical related rooms are an essential part of most developments simply because modern buildings are so dependent on electricity. Here's an attempt to break down what some of these rooms contain to understand them better.
In small developments such as a small shop front, electricity is obtained in a Low Tension format and used directly. However, in larger developments, electricity is obtained first in a High Tension format from the electricity supplier, then converted to Low Tension within the development itself for common day usage.
To put it simply, Low Tension is electricity at low voltage, while High Tension is electricity at high voltage. While both high and low voltage are deadly to the human touch, the difference in voltage value is important in the transportation of electricity across electricity grids in terms of efficiency.

(A little physics if you want to understand more)
High voltage electricity loses less "energy" (i.e. Power) when transported across the grid than low voltage electricity. When an electrical engineer tried to explain this, he used 2 formulas:

 P = I^2 R, i.e.
Power Lost = The Square of Current x Resistance

 Because electricity is transported in cables where the resistance value cannot be changed, the way to reduce power lost would be to reduce the amount of current in the equation.

 And since:
P = IV, i.e.
Power = Current x Voltage

 When power is constant, a higher voltage will mean less current, and a lower voltage will mean more current. Then a High Tension cable with higher voltage will have a lower current and hence less Power Lost.

At bigger developments, because of the larger amount of electricity used, it then makes a lot more sense to get the electricity at High Tension, then convert it to Low Tension. In these cases, electricity related rooms are required for this conversion.
  • Electrical Substation
When there is sufficient space in a large development, the whole conversion process is completed in an electrical substation.
However, sometimes, this space is further broken down into more detailed rooms:
  • High Tension Room
This is where electricity is received in High Tension format. In this room, there will be switchboards (imagine them as big panels with lots of switches) that control the incoming electricity. As such, power for the development could be switched off through controlling the switchboards here.
  • Transformer Room
This is where the conversion from High Tension to Low Tension happens, through step down transformers.
  • Consumer Switch Room
The converted electricity is then connected to this room, where there will be many switchboards again, but this time for low tension electricity. Similarly, power for parts of the development could be switched off through controlling the switchboards here.

Usually, these three spaces are placed close together for efficient spatial organisation. The tasks they perform also meant that these spaces are usually kept running 24/7. In the case of maintenance, however, some of these may be switched off for safety. For example, if workers need to maintain the transformer room or consumer switch room, then electricity needs to be switched off from the high tension room.
Lastly, always always remember to waterproof these rooms properly!

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