All US homes have 220V at the breaker [1]. That doesnt mean its available anywhere else in the home since the only appliance that is necessarily 220V is AC (dry

All US homes have 220V at the breaker [1]. That doesnt mean its available anywhere else in the home since the only appliance that is necessarily 220V is AC (dryers, ovens, all come in gas) and the AC is typically hardwired. You also have a lot less versatility in how you use 220 in the US (just look at the size of the NEMA outlets) [1] Europe was poorer than the US at the turn of the last century and adopted 220 to save on copper. 110, all else equal (and its not) safer. In the US, two phases of 110 come in from the transformer box outside to your box 180 degrees out of phase. Taking both phases, you get 220V. The Brits, to save even more copper, did something insane - ring circuits