Sounds like a legacy thing. The vast majority of houses now have combi boilers so no hot water tank. Hot water is on demand. Which would also be why separate taps have pretty much disappeared from UK homes since at least the 2010s.
Though I do think it’s very likely that a big chunk of it is as the other commenter said, an electricity thing.
With the price of gas what it is over here at the moment I’m rather glad my dishwasher is electrically heating as I can run it even on a dull day and my pannels will provide a good chunk of the power.
Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 2 days ago
Exactly. UK and European legacy standards required cold water dishwashers; US legacy standards called for hot water dishwashers. Once that expectation took hold, it’s somewhat difficult to alter it. Builders install plumbing for their respective systems; consumers buy appliances to match their plumbing. It’s a vicious circle with little compelling reason to break it. Neither is objectively better; neither is objectively worse.
The overwhelming majority of households had gas-fired water heaters, because for decades, it was significantly cheaper than electric, and those gas-fired systems remain in place in a majority of homes. In that sense, it’s an electric thing.
In the sense that US circuits simply can’t handle the current requirements of a permanently installed heating appliance, that is a complete myth. Trust me, we know how to
wasteuse electricity.