House mains electricity issues

[Macbeth]

I wrote a post of the pavements with underground transformer outside local shops going up in flames but realised my post was referring to a certain community and so had to delete it.

Obviously the transformer went up in flames because it wasn't engineered correctly. Nothing to do with the people running the local shops who had to suffer loss of business and other stuff when it went up.

[RukyCon]

Side question:
I built a custom fixture less than a year ago and i'm wondering if it's a good idea to ground the two metal boxes that cover the ballasts.

[madires]

In the US you don't see fuses before the meter in residential situations, normally the primary of the distribution transformer on the pole or in a vault will be fused but otherwise the first protection device is the main breaker in the panel. 200A 240V service is typically standard these days though large houses may have 400A and very large houses (as in mcmansions) may have 600A service.

Standard setup in Germany:  The power cable goes into the house connection box, which got fuses (3-phase, NH fuses, usually 35 or 63A for a small house with one or two flats). Next step is the main distribution panel with power meters and NH fuses (typically 25 or 35A) for each flat. Each flat or floor has its local distribution box with RCDs, breakers on so on. The main distribution box might house the RCDs and breakers for the cellar. Old homes might have just the house connection box and the main distribution panel.

[Monkeh]

Side question:
I built a custom fixture less than a year ago and i'm wondering if it's a good idea to ground the two metal boxes that cover the ballasts.

If they contain a typical single-insulated ballast and single-insulated wiring, well, yes.

[Gyro]

Standard setup in Germany:  The power cable goes into the house connection box, which got fuses (3-phase, NH fuses, usually 35 or 63A for a small house with one or two flats). Next step is the main distribution panel with power meters and NH fuses (typically 25 or 35A) for each flat. Each flat or floor has its local distribution box with RCDs, breakers on so on. The main distribution box might house the RCDs and breakers for the cellar. Old homes might have just the house connection box and the main distribution panel.

Pah! You can still wash more dishes than us 

A typical house incoming supply fuse in the UK is around 80A, single phase.