Those who are preparing to move to Portugal almost always arrive with the same question: what to do with the appliances they already have? The answer is not just “buy an adapter”. Between voltage, frequency, type of outlet and the electricity contract itself, there are several technical details that, if ignored, are expensive \u2014 from a burned-out appliance on the first day to a higher electricity bill than it should. <\/p>\n\n
In this article we explain, in a simple way, why Brazil has regions with different electrical standards, why this does not happen in Portugal, what changes between 50 Hz and 60 Hz, when it is worth using a transformer and when it is not, and how to choose the contracted power and the electricity supplier well after it is installed.<\/p>\n\n
Brazil has never had a single electrical standard. The explanation is historical: at the beginning of the twentieth century, each city contracted the construction of its electricity network with different companies, and each company brought the standard of its country of origin. North American and Canadian companies installed 110V networks; European companies installed 220V networks. The result has remained unresolved to this day \u2014 S\u00e3o Paulo, for example, is mostly 110V\/127V, while Rio de Janeiro and much of the Northeast are mostly 220V, without a single national rule. <\/p>\n\n
That’s why, even in a “110V” house, it’s normal to have one or two 220V outlets \u2014 usually dedicated to an electric shower, an air conditioner or an oven. The reason is electrical, it’s not a matter of convenience: an equipment that consumes a lot of power needs a high current if it is powered at 110V, and high current requires much thicker (and more expensive) wires so as not to overheat. By powering that same equipment at 220V, the necessary current drops by half, which allows you to use thinner and safer cabling. Therefore, for higher power equipment, it pays to install your own circuit at 220V even in a house whose general standard is 110V. <\/p>\n\n
The reverse \u2014 a house whose standard is 220V also has general outlets at 110V \u2014 practically does not happen, and the reason is simple: in these houses, the entire electrical installation was designed from the beginning for 220V, including lighting and common outlets. There is no current use equipment that requires 110V there, so there was never a reason to install a second network in parallel. When it is really necessary to power something at 110V in a 220V house, the solution is a transformer \u2014 we return to this point later. <\/p>\n\n
Portugal, like the rest of continental Europe, works as a national version of the “220V” scenario: the country’s entire electricity grid operates at 230V, with no regional exceptions. That is, if the house you come from in Brazil is already 220V, the difference to the Portuguese 230V is small and most appliances tolerate it without problem. If, on the contrary, it comes from a house at 110V or 127V, practically all appliances with a motor or resistance will need a transformer \u2014 or to be replaced here. <\/p>\n\n
In addition to voltage, there is a second problem, independent of the first: the physical shape of the socket. Since the adoption of the NBR 14136 standard, Brazil officially uses the so-called type N \u2014 round pins, arranged in a triangle. Portugal, like most of Europe, uses type F (also called Schuko) \u2014 also round pins, but with lateral ground contacts and a different shape from the Brazilian one. In the United States and Canada, another format is used, type A\/B, with flat pins. <\/p>\n\n
None of these physically fit the others without an adapter. It is important to realize the difference between two objects that are frequently confused: a plug adapter only changes the shape of the pins to fit into the wall \u2014 it does not change the voltage or the frequency that reaches the device. A transformer (or voltage converter) is what effectively changes the voltage. Taking only the adapter to a device that is not bivolt does not protect it at all; it only solves the fitting. <\/p>\n\n
The frequency measures how many times per second the electric current reverses the direction. Portugal and Europe work at 50 Hz; Brazil and the United States work at 60 Hz. Unlike voltage, frequency is not usually mentioned on the labels of devices with the same prominence \u2014 and yet it can also be a reason for breakdown. <\/p>\n\n
The effect is most visible in devices with a motor. The rotational speed of an electric motor is directly linked to the frequency of the grid: an ordinary 4-pole motor spins at about 1800 revolutions per minute on a 60 Hz network, but only at about 1500 revolutions per minute on a 50 Hz network \u2014 a reduction of almost 20%. In practice, this means that a motor designed for 60 Hz, when connected to 50 Hz, spins slower, loses power and can overheat, even if the voltage is correct. A voltage transformer does not solve this problem: it changes the voltage, not the frequency. <\/p>\n\n
It is also because of the frequency that some simpler and older appliances \u2014 especially those that use the power grid itself to keep time, such as certain clocks and timers \u2014 can delay or advance when they move to another country. Modern electronic devices, with digital control, usually do not have this problem, but equipment with a motor remains the real point of attention. <\/p>\n\n
A transformer converts the voltage \u2014 from 230V to 110\/127V, or the other way around \u2014 allowing you to use in Portugal a device that was only designed for the Brazilian voltage. It is a useful solution for simple equipment, without a motor, such as lamps, some electronic devices with a linear source or small low-power appliances. But it has limits that are worth knowing before deciding on it. <\/p>\n\n
The first precaution is to correctly size the power of the transformer: if it is lower than the power of the device, there is a real risk of overheating and fire. The second is that a transformer is not an invisible accessory \u2014 it consumes energy even when the connected device is turned off (the so-called standby consumption) and, especially in the simplest models, it usually emits a constant audible hum while it is connected to the mains. <\/p>\n\n
And, as we have already explained, a transformer solves the voltage, but not the frequency. Therefore, there is a category of equipment in which the use of a transformer is not recommended, or at least requires a lot of attention \u2014 precisely devices with a motor, compressor or mechanism sensitive to rotational speed: <\/p>\n\n
In terms of cost, in Portugal a simple domestic voltage converter, of about 200W (enough for a small electronic device), is around \u20ac25\u2013\u20ac30. A higher power model, 1000W, is already around \u20ac75\u2013\u20ac80. Higher consumption equipment, such as a washing machine or a refrigerator, would require much higher power transformers \u2014 bulkier, more expensive and, almost always, less advantageous than simply buying the device already prepared for 230V in Portugal. <\/p>\n\n
Before thinking about a transformer, it is always worth checking if the device is already bivolt \u2014 that is, factory prepared to work at both 110\/127V and 230V. This is the case with most current mobile phone and laptop chargers, and many more recent small appliances. <\/p>\n\n
The information is always on a technical label, usually on the base of the device, on the power supply or next to the plug. Look for the “Input” field: if you indicate a range, such as “100-240V ~50\/60Hz”, the device is automatic bivolt and can be used in Portugal only with a plug adapter, without a transformer. If you only indicate a fixed value, such as “127V ~60Hz”, without a range, the device is not bivolt and will really need a transformer \u2014 or stay in Brazil. <\/p>\n\n
Some older appliances have a manual selection switch, usually labeled “110” and “220”. In these cases, the responsibility lies with the user: plugging the appliance into the wrong position can damage it immediately. When the label is not clear, the equipment manual or the manufacturer’s website, searched by model number, usually clarifies. <\/p>\n\n
This is a point that often goes unnoticed. In addition to the voltage issue, lamps brought from Brazil can use a different socket than the Portuguese one: the common standard in Brazil and the United States is E26, while in Portugal and the rest of Europe the standard is E27. The two are very similar physically \u2014 an E26 bulb usually fits into an E27 bulb \u2014 but the bulb itself is usually manufactured for a fixed voltage, connected to the market of origin, and should not be assumed to be compatible just because it fits. <\/p>\n\n
Even more delicate is the lamp itself (and not just the lamp): many models, especially LED ones with a built-in driver, come factory prepared only for the voltage of the country where they were purchased. Before bringing a lamp you like, it is worth checking the technical label of the equipment itself \u2014 and, if in doubt, the simplest thing is usually to bring only the decorative structure and buy a lamp in Portugal and, if necessary, a suitable plug or socket. <\/p>\n\n
Once the right appliance is installed, there is another point that makes a direct difference in the monthly bill: the contracted power. It is the maximum amount of electricity that the house can use simultaneously, measured in kVA, and is chosen at the time of contracting electricity. In Portugal there are several brackets available for domestic use \u2014 from 1.15 kVA to 41.4 kVA \u2014 but the vast majority of homes are between 3.45 kVA and 6.9 kVA, depending on the number of equipment that usually works at the same time. <\/p>\n\n
The important detail for those arriving from outside is that the contracted power is a fixed cost, charged per day, regardless of how much the house actually consumes. Hiring a step above what is necessary means paying every day for a capacity that you are not using; hiring a step below what is necessary means the circuit breaker to trip whenever several appliances with higher consumption \u2014 such as the extractor fan, the washing machine and the water heater \u2014 work at the same time. According to data from ERSE, the regulator of the energy sector in Portugal, going down a step can save around \u20ac36 per year in contracts up to 6.9 kVA \u2014 so it’s worth choosing carefully, and not just copying what the house already had. <\/p>\n\n
Here there is an important difference compared to Brazil, where the distributor and the invoice usually come from the same company. In Portugal, the physical electricity network \u2014 poles, cables, meters, fault repair \u2014 is managed by a single company throughout the country, E-Redes, regardless of who issues the invoice. E-Redes is not chosen: it is associated with the address of the house. <\/p>\n\n
What is chosen is the supplier \u2014 the company that buys energy on the market and sells it to the end customer, defines the tariff plan and issues the invoice. In Portugal there are about 40 suppliers operating in the free market, including EDP Comercial, Endesa, Galp and Goldenergy. The choice of one or the other does not affect the quality of the network or the response time to a breakdown \u2014 this remains the responsibility of E-Redes \u2014 but it does affect the price paid for energy (fixed or market-indexed tariffs), the type of plans available and the quality of customer service. It is worth comparing proposals before signing a contract, just as you would compare a mobile phone plan. <\/p>\n\n
It is common for a customer coming from Brazil to want to bring devices to which he is already used \u2014 and, without this information, run the risk of finding out only after the move that they will not work, or that they will work badly. In the turnkey project, CW helps to decide, equipment by equipment, what makes sense to bring, what pays to buy already in Portugal, and what needs a transformer \u2014 avoiding both the expense of bringing something that will end up sitting in a storage room, and the unforeseen event of a device damaged in the first use. <\/p>\n\n
This monitoring also enters into the electrical design of the house: dimensioning the contracted power according to the equipment that the customer will actually use, predicting the dedicated circuits that some appliances require, and guiding the choice of electricity supplier when it comes time to turn on the meters. It is one of the many details that, treated in advance, save time and money after the house is ready. <\/p>\n\n
Learn more about what we do at CW Arquitetura<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n