First the basics…electricity for dummies.

What are Volts (V): voltage is the “pressure” of the electrons moving through the wires

What are Amps (A): measures the volume of the electrons flowing in the circuit

What are Hertz (Hz): the “frequency” of the electricity. To make it simple, imagine it’s how fast the electrons change direction

What are Watts : the watt is the rate of flow of the electricity. (Volts X Amps = Watts)

Adaptor: the thingy that makes your North American plug fit into the European holes in the wall. You will likely need these.

Convertor: the thingy that actually converts the voltage from 220 to 110 (for instance). You may need these for certain appliances.

Surge Protector: The system here can be a bit glitchy and can result in power surges. This can happen after partial or full power outages, etc. Surge protectors ensure that electrical items do not get fried by sudden surges in power. We have surge protectors on our fridge, microwave, TVs, modems, and any other sensitive items. It is possible to get a “whole house” surge protector installed by an electrician. We have no idea on cost or availability.

That was the boring part. Here’s the part that matters:

The supply of electricity can vary from country to country. That’s why stores make a fortune selling all those little adaptors. I’m pretty sure the countries collude with one another to do this unnecessary thing just to confuse us and break our stuff so we have to buy more stuff.

Canada operates on a 120 Volt (which gives us the 110V that comes through our plugs) supply at 60 hertz.

Curaçao operates on 120/240 Volt supply at 50 Hz. (don’t worry about the specific numbers, keep reading!!)

So, what does this mean?

Clearly, one can see these the numbers are different.

• Because the Voltage in Curaçao is higher than in Canada, there are many items you cannot use in Curaçao. (Like most appliances, for example)
• Because the frequency (Hertz) is different, there are many items that simply won’t survive. Anything with moving, rotating, or time related functions (clocks, shavers, electric fan, many microwave ovens) are especially susceptible to damage from the variation in Hertz.

Note: if the label on your device says “INPUT: 100-240, 50/60 Hz” on it, then it can be used in any country in the world. Many laptops, cameras, cell phones, etc have this designation.

One more Note: there are many homes in Curaçao that actually have a 110V (this is what we have in Canadian homes), but because the frequency in Curacao is 50Hz (and the voltage is actually 127…too complex to explain), your electrical items still may be damaged and eventually stop working.

Why is this important?

This may help you to decide what items to ship to Curaçao if you are planning to move there. No sense in bringing your stuff all the way down just to have it die on you.