Evolution of Domestic Electricity Consumption and Electrocution Accidents: A Historical Technical Analysis from 1930 to Today
With references to Sant Feliu de Pallerols and Les Preses (La Garrotxa, Catalonia)
The evolution of domestic electricity consumption in Spain, and particularly in rural areas such as the comarca of La Garrotxa, reflects not only technological changes but also the social and economic transformations of the last century. This article technically examines how consumption has changed, what electrical accidents truly meant in different eras, and how local companies supplied electricity to these areas.
Current Electricity Consumption: The LED Era (2020–2025)
In 2025, a Spanish household consumes an average of 270 kWh per month (approximately 3,272 kWh per year), according to data from Red Eléctrica Española. This is equivalent to approximately 9 kWh per day, at an average cost of €1.35 per day.
However, this figure has undergone a significant reduction in recent years thanks to LED technology. A 10W LED bulb provides the same illumination as a 60W incandescent or a 40W halogen. If a home has 15 light points on for an average of 4 hours per day:
With incandescent bulbs (60W): 15 × 60W × 4h × 30 days = 108 kWh/month
With LED (10W): 15 × 10W × 4h × 30 days = 18 kWh/month
This represents an 83% reduction in lighting consumption. Economically, at an average price of €0.15/kWh, LED lighting saves around €13.50 per month on bulbs alone, or €162 per year per household.
The breakdown of current consumption in a typical household is:
Appliances: 55.2% (149 kWh/month)
Lighting: 11.7% (32 kWh/month) — it would have been 100+ kWh with incandescents
Cooking: 9.3% (25 kWh/month)
Hot water: 7.5% (20 kWh/month)
Heating: 7.4% (20 kWh/month)
Standby: 6.6% (18 kWh/month)
Cooling/Air conditioning: 2.3% (6 kWh/month)
Retrospective: 1990–2010 (Era of Low-Energy Bulbs)
Between 1990 and 2010, average household consumption in Spain ranged from 3,200 to 4,500 kWh per year, depending on the level of equipment. During this period, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) were introduced, consuming 75% less than incandescents but not reaching the efficiency of current LEDs.
The typical contracted power was 3.3 kW to 5.75 kW, sufficient for a home with a refrigerator, television, washing machine, and several light points. The voltage was already 220V (standardised to 230V in the 90s) throughout Spain.
Lighting then accounted for 18–20% of total consumption, compared to the current 11.7%. A typical home with 15 60W incandescent bulbs consumed approximately 1,300 kWh per year on lighting alone — nearly half the total current consumption of a modern LED home.
The 1970s–80s: The Era of Economic Development
In the 1970s, Spain experienced explosive growth in domestic electricity consumption. In 1970, total electricity generation in Spain reached 56,500 GWh, tripling the 1960 figure. Average household consumption was around 1,500–2,000 kWh per year.
At this time, many homes still operated on 125V single-phase (derived from 220V three-phase systems), though the transition to the 220V standard was underway. Electrical appliances had voltage selectors (110V/125V/220V) precisely because of this coexistence of standards.
My personal experience in 1973 (Les Preses):
I was 3 or 4 years old when I stuck a pair of scissors into a socket. What I felt was a violent muscle contraction, intense pain, and I remained"stuck"for what seemed like eternal seconds but were probably milliseconds. My grandmother managed to separate me without touching me directly — probably using something non-conductive. The shock left me dazed, with a numb arm and a visceral fear of sockets that lasted for years.
Domestic electricity in 1973 was 220V or 125V depending on the installation. In my case, it was probably 125V single-phase. With a body resistance of approximately 1,000 ohms (dry hands of a child), the current that passed through my body was:
I = V / R = 125V / 1,000Ω = 0.125 amperes = 125 milliamperes
This current of 125 mA is extremely dangerous. According to electrical safety studies:
1 mA: Perception threshold (slight tingling)
5 mA: Unpleasant shock but controllable
10–30 mA: Intense pain, loss of muscle control
50–150 mA: Severe muscle contraction,"stuck"to the conductor, risk of ventricular fibrillation
150–250+ mA: Probable ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, death
My survival was due to three factors: (1) the contact duration was extremely brief — probably less than 0.5 seconds; (2) the current path did not pass directly through the heart; and (3) my grandmother's immediate intervention. With 125 mA for 3 seconds, the probability of ventricular fibrillation would have exceeded 50%.
The 1940s–50s: The Beginnings of Rural Electrification
My grandmother's experience (Sant Feliu de Pallerols, approx. 1950):
As she told me, at that time she touched something electrical (probably an appliance with a poorly insulated metal casing or a bare wire) and received a shock that knocked her to the floor. The most striking part of her account was that"the village lights went out"immediately afterwards, and apparently she was made to pay something related to the incident. There were also certain envies in the village according to a book published about the grandparents of the old people's home, as there was jealousy because she had 2 bulbs in the house and everyone else only had one. But when you turned one on, the other went off, as if the connection was faulty, and in practice only one bulb worked at a time. The perception of people in other times is sometimes different from current perceptions.
Let us analyse this technically. In 1950, Sant Feliu de Pallerols was a village in La Garrotxa that received electricity from small local hydroelectric plants or from the nascent network of FECSA (Fuerzas Eléctricas de Cataluña), created in 1951, or from predecessor companies such as Barcelona Traction ("La Canadenca").
At that time, the domestic voltage in rural areas of Catalonia varied enormously. Some installations had 110V, others 125V, and the most modern 220V. The most likely in Sant Feliu de Pallerols in 1950 was 125V single-phase derived from a three-phase transformer.
The village power outage has a technical explanation: my grandmother probably caused a short circuit to earth. In the electrical systems of 1950, protections were rudimentary — modern residual current devices (RCDs) did not yet exist (invented in 1955). Protections relied on fuses that had to detect massive overcurrents.
If my grandmother touched an active conductor making good contact with earth, the current flow could have been:
I = 125V / 500Ω (resistance reduced by moisture/sweat) = 0.25 amperes = 250 mA
This current is lethal. However, if contact lasted less than 100 milliseconds and the current did not pass directly through the heart (entry through the hand, exit through the legs), it is possible to survive with: momentary loss of consciousness, burns at entry/exit points, violent muscle contractions that knocked her to the floor, and prolonged dazedness.
The village power outage was probably caused by the short circuit to earth blowing the fuse of the local distribution line. At that time, a small village like Sant Feliu de Pallerols might have had a single distribution line with 50–100 ampere fuses. A short circuit of 250 mA plus the normal load of the village could have been sufficient to blow the fuse.
As for the "payment": it is likely that the electricity company charged for the replacement of the fuse and restoration of service. In 1950, electricity companies had very different practices from today — the service was almost artisanal, and any incident requiring intervention was charged to the responsible customer.
The Textile Industry in Sant Feliu de Pallerols: The Context of the 1950 Accident
My grandmother's accident was not an isolated incident in a private home. It occurred in the context of the beginnings of textile industrialisation in La Garrotxa, a process that was radically transforming villages like Sant Feliu de Pallerols.
Sant Feliu de Pallerols had been known since the medieval era as "land of mills". The River Brugent, which runs through the Hostoles Valley, provided the hydraulic energy needed to power 14 flour mills in the village. One of the oldest, the Molí de la Conqueta, has documented references from 1310.
From the 18th century, some of these flour mills were converted into cloth mills (draps). In 1766, the guild of paraires (wool workers) and weavers of Sant Feliu de Pallerols approved its ordinances under the supervision of the Junta de Comerç de Barcelona. Wool textile production became a fundamental economic activity of the village.
The Electrification of the Textile Industry (1920s–1950s)
When electricity arrived in Sant Feliu de Pallerols in the early decades of the 20th century, textile factories were the first to adopt it. The mills, which traditionally operated with direct hydraulic energy (water wheels), began installing hydroelectric generators that converted the force of water into electricity.
This electricity was used to power:
Mechanical looms: An electric loom from the 40s–50s consumed between 0.5 and 1.5 kW per unit. A small factory with 20 looms could consume 20–30 kW.
Spinning and carding machines: Carding motors consumed 2–5 kW each.
Transmission systems: Before each machine had its own motor, a large central motor (10–20 kW) was used, transmitting movement via pulleys and belts (the famous"embarrats"seen in period photographs).
Industrial lighting: Factories needed many 100–200W incandescent bulbs to illuminate workspaces.
