Re: anything from 1A to 13A
In the developed world on the west side of the pond, we use radial circuits, with wire designed to take more current than the breaker's trip point. Cables/plugs from machine to wall (and outlets, for that matter) are also designed for full current, so they don't need a fuse - and are therefore interchangeable.
We used to do that sort of point-to-point "star" config, way back in the 1950s. Then it was realised that increasing use of appliances meant that modern homes needed more than one socket per room, and putting 6 or 8 16A sockets in each room, with 3 or 4 20A cables back to a 20A breaker, was overkill. It also required a lot of cable and a large distribution board. No-one would (or could) ever draw the full 16A from each without blowing the main house fuse, and most would only be used for low loads like lighting or radios. Today, of course, that is even more true.
The logical solution is a "bus" architecture: a single 30A distribution circuit per 1000 sq. ft (approx one per floor in a normal home) which covers the total load needs for that floor. You can have as many outlets on the bus as you need within that area. To avoid the need to put a heavy 16A-20A cable on light duty equipment like radios or lamps, each can instead be fitted with appropriate 3A or 5A cable, fused in the plug to protect it from fire. The appliance could, if necessary, have its own protection (TVs & computers do, table lamps usually not).
Overall it's a much simpler solution, which requires fewer resources.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
