Sometimes, I hear advice from "experts" on "hoarding" ( and an occasional firefighter ), concerning electrical arrangements - power bars, extension cords.
One most inane bit of wisdom I heard -
"Having too many extension cords and power bars can cause an overload"
This shows complete ignorance of how electricity works, and how houses are wired.
Extension cords and power bars simply provide the opportunity to plug in devices, and the combined load at any given point is what determines whether you have an overload or not ; and this should be caught by either the power bar's overload breaker, or the panel's breaker, either one - for regular household circuits, this will be 15A.
No matter how much and what kind of stuff you have plugged in, if you have a regular and properly wired circuit, it will blow at 15A.
Plug in a microwave, a toaster and a kettle and turn them on at the same time - the breaker will blow, and will have to be reset, or a fuse replaced. That's it. Overload happens - protection kicks in.
If, on the other hand, you have a power bar with a hundred positions for a hundred low-powered 5W devices, well, that will never blow.
It's hard to imagine what scenario they are thinking of that would cause an overload that wouldn't be caught by breakers, but since this comes from ignorance, it can be ignored. I'd love to hear theories though, if any plausible ones are put forward.
Now, there's this notion that power cords and power bars should only be used on temporary basis, and that proper outlets should be used on permanent basis.
Now, count - how many devices, how many power supplies does a typical home have ?
All the little chargers for all the little devices, computers, TVs, printers, etc.
You'd need the biggest electrical panel available, to have every area covered abundantly, and you'd end up with wall sections with dozens of outlets, to replace the use of power bars - does that look feasible, is this typically done, is it reasonable at all ?
Completely out of touch with reality.
The only problems are - poor contact that results in sparking, cords chewed up / frayed / stepped on, improper wiring etc.
Make sure your power bars and extension cord connections are plugged in securely, are protected from being stepped on or pinched, aren't subject to regular movement, and are away from combustibles.
To any "experts" - if you're speaking about this stuff - first, make sure you actually know what you are talking about.
The danger is real, but let's be precise and realistic, instead of making a bogeyman out of the same basic tools ( power bars and extension cords ) that everyone uses extensively.
In a way, this is also a microcosm of how the "experts" generally deal with dysfunction in possessions.