This is a 12V unit, this means that it can be installed close to a wet area in the bathroom. The rail comes supplied with a transformer which reduces the incoming voltage from 240v to 12v. The rail will still operate at the same temperature and use the same amount of electricity as an equivalent 240v rail as the wattage is the same, however, the rail is operating at a lower voltage. The rail has a wiring point on both the left and right-hand side of the rail and can be wired at either the top or bottom of the rail. As it is a 12v unit and needs to be wired to a transformer the rail can only be hardwired. The electric towel rail is designed to rapidly heat up and reach a temperature of around 45-55 degrees.