All About Electricity in Curaçao
Shelly
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT ELECTRICITY IN CURAZAO
Understanding how electricity works in Curaçao is essential, just as it is when traveling to any other international destination.
Many travelers encounter surprises when visiting a new destination for the first time—such as realizing they didn't bring a power adapter, that the voltage is high, or that in some destinations, there may be scheduled power outages.
I've put together this guide so you won't be caught off guard by some interesting facts about electricity in Curaçao. Depending on which country you're coming from, the cost and use of electricity in Curaçao may be very different from where you live.
The electrical voltage in Curaçao is 110–130 volts / 50 Hz. Generally, the standard adapters that come with cell phones or laptops can be used without any problems, unless you're coming from a country where the voltage is much higher. However, if If the voltage is lower than in your home country, your appliance won't break (usually), but it won't work properly. A light bulb will shine at half its usual brightness, and a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner will run at half its usual speed. However, some electronic devices (such as a computer) cannot operate at a voltage that is too low, so they may be damaged.
SHOULD I USE A POWER ADAPTER OR NOT?
POWER OUTAGES ("RATIONING")
It is not uncommon for Aqualectra to carry out scheduled power outages in certain areas of the island from time to time. Some outages are due to insufficient capacity at the power plant, which means that certain neighborhoods or sectors must go without power for a few hours to reduce the electrical load. This scheduled outage rotates among neighborhoods and areas every few hours to avoid affecting the community for long periods on any given day.
A power outage may also be caused by maintenance or malfunctions at the power plant. For this reason, many companies—and even individual customers—have chosen to have a small backup generator for emergencies. This will allow the freezer, some of the lighting, and—depending on the generator’s capacity—the air conditioning to continue functioning normally in the event of a power outage.
Generally, owners of apartments or studios have power supplies when the property is used for tourism purposes. However, if there happens to be a power outage in the apartment where you're staying, try not to open the refrigerator or freezer too often. That way, your food will stay fresh for the duration of the outage.
For desktop computer users, power outages can damage the device. You could lose important data. Therefore, a backup battery (UPS) is recommended. Fortunately, laptops and tablets are equipped with a battery, so they don't have this problem.
Note: Hotels and hospitals do not usually experience this problem, as they have their own reservations and such outages do not affect them.
Helpful tip:
If the place where you're staying experiences a power outage and you can't wait because you need to work, you can head to places equipped with workspaces, where you can plug in your device and, in most cases, have access to free Wi-Fi (as well as central air conditioning). Examples: Sambil, chain restaurants such as Mac Cafés (McDonald’s), KFC, Burger King, or Starbucks.
PREPAID ELECTRICITY (PAGATINU)
Many vacation apartments and villas have an electricity "top-up" system. It's called Pagatinu and is a prepaid electricity system.
Here's how it works: The apartment has a device that looks like a calculator. On it, you can see how many kWh are left to use.
To recharge with more kilowatts, you can go to a gas station, a supermarket, or an Aqualectra branch, where you can purchase electricity. To learn how to calculate your daily energy usage and how to recharge your Pagatinu step by step, read my guide to using the Pagatinu in Curaçao.
TIP: Air conditioning literally "guzzles" electricity. Turn off the air conditioner when it's not absolutely necessary or when you're not in the room. You'll see that you'll save a lot.
