I'd say if we could pick a clean slate design for everyone then I'd go with the Swiss[1] one. Maybe also run it at 400V since modern cables should be able to handle that.
Wires typically come out directly from the rear of the plug, making for a not particularly neat plug scenario. I find myself using 90-degree adapters a lot of the time.
Extension bars also often take advantage of the reduced space requirements, meaning that many of the slots can't be used if you're plugging in any wall warts there.
Finally, UK electricity is 13A @ 240V, whereas Swiss electricity - like most of continental Europe - is 10A @ 220V. The gap here is significant when (a) you need to extend a socket because of space constraints, especially in the kitchen, and (b) when you want a fast-boiling kettle. I had to get a new kettle when I moved to Switzerland and it's noticeably slower to boil.
I wonder where you got this idea. Both are 230V. Schulko plugs are 10 or 16 amps (with bigger connectors), 16 A is quite common in my experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEE_7_standard_AC_plugs_and_so...
https://www.leadsdirect.co.uk/knowledge-base/what-is-the-dif...
> EU 230V -10% +6% (i.e. 207.0 V-243.8 V)
> UK 230V -6% +10% (i.e. 216.2 V – 253.0 V)
The problem with replacing British plugs is that they need fuses because most British houses are wired with ring circuits, instead of radial circuits like the rest of the world. So I don't see them moving to a new standard any time soon.
One probably could force the Europlug into it (looks very close), I haven't tried.
Both plugs and sockets are very compact, which is a far cry from the emerging standard which is the shuko/europlug which takes twice the space. Almost all new houses are equipped with shuko sockets.
But the sockets here do not have the additional prong to avoid swapping the neutral, so they're effectively just a waste of space.
* at least, we have two sizes for it, a smaller one rated for 8A, and the newer for 16A which we commonly have today.
the compatibility table is not trivial (in particular the europlug is compatible with everithing except the big type L sockets) and while new houses might be to nicer standards, there are a lot of very old houses in italy (i lived in a house from ~1850) and many public spaces use the cheapest sockets they can find so you either get a small type L (accepts also europlugs) a simple schuko (accepts also europlugs and unhearthed small type L) or a big type L (accepts only big type L).
In this regard, long live the "europlug" and the trend switching towards type F sockets.
But I was just lamenting the bulkiness of it in general.
In Italy I have mostly seen (https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/Italian1.html) 1,2,4,5, schukos like 17a and when lucky schukos like 9 and 10; I have never seen most of the others.
https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/Swiss_3hd.html
Our washing machine uses a T15 plug but the socket can also accept a T12 single phase plug instead.
(As a Brit, I'd also pick the Swiss plug as the best, except that the fuseless design wouldn't be good in the UK because of the 30A ring system described in another comment.)
And it could be negotiated up to 100,000 volts for charging cars with a thin cool cable. 100,000 volts is perfectly safe as long as system capacitance is kept tiny, and leakage current constantly measured. In fact, the voltage of the sparks when you take off a fleece jumper are more than that.
The current system is nice and flexible and simple enough to be safe. Extension cords work well when you are plugging in a bunch of usb devices and tv/laptop/console. But you can also use the same outlet for a hair dryer or a mixer. Higher current devices like ovens, showers, and cars need to be treated seperately to prevent unsuitable parts adding a fire risk. Lack of compatability to domestic appliances is a feature.
Well, it kills 1000+ people per year in electrical fires in the USA alone. We would never allow electricity in homes like this if it were invented today.
> Such a system would need a box in the basement and lots of seperate wires to outlets.
Yes. But if high voltages can safely be used, and the system is safe in case a cable gets chafed, then the wires become super thin like headphone wires, and overall, the whole system could be produced cheaper than existing systems which use a lot of copper and plastic.
Fire is eliminated too, because a high tech solution measures power losses at every connection, and as soon as enough is unaccounted for to possibly be heating something up to the point of a fire, it switches off.
The main disadvantage is that every appliance or device needs circuitry to measure power flows. This is mitigated by the fact that voltage is variable - low power devices could simply run off 5 to 20 volts at sub-1-amp and not bother with any fancy measurement. Only high power stuff would need the high voltages and all the safety circuitry.
I suspect the risk of fire very thin wires and AC voltage is fairly low - the wires will burn out before there is much of a fire risk.