Since we're having a couple of difficulties at the moment, why not round it off with yet another one? We were already aware that the electricity system in Italy is slightly different from ours and that it is also more expensive as Italy doesn't produce enough electricity on its own. But what we weren't prepared for is that the standard electricity connection in Italy is... 3,5kW! This is barely enough for a washing machine! Since we already consume a constant amount of Watts through appliances like a fridge, a seperate freezer and the odd lightbulb or two we'd already blow the entire fusebox just by washing our clothes. Without mentioning our electrical oven which has a maximum power of 4,5kW. 4,5kW is by coincidence also the maximum "domestic" connection that the few providers we've checked out on the internet offer. It's perfectly clear to us now why electrical ovens aren't a real success in Italy and why most people use gas ovens in stead. If we can believe our Italian friends, you can always get a more powerful connection but this would cost us a fortune. Allright, we've already settled for the fact that we'll have to buy a new cooker with integrated gas oven and that Christine will have to wait with her hairdryer until the dishwasher's finished.

To look at it from the bright side, this "problem" demonstrates how addicted we've become to the luxury of unlimited electrical power. We should all become a bit more modest if we'd still want to save this planet. A limited electrical connection is in this regard a very good lesson which will teach us to become more resourceful with less.

04-01-2010 om 12:27 geschreven door Peter