Life in Tuscany: Our Electricity Challenge

PART 130: It might be interesting to share how we pulled off living in Italy for part of the year. I will post some steps and what we are learning along the way.

We love every minute of it, and what was once a dream is our life!

We live in Tuscany in the Fall, then back again in the Spring, and in California for the rest of the time (in a previous blog, I explained why we live in Italy only part of the year).

Step 1: This week, let's focus on our electricity challenges since moving into our house in Tuscany.

Step 2: Electricity for homeowners in Italy

Setting up an electricity supply contract in Italy is a fairly straightforward process.

If electricity is already connected in the house, you just need to transfer the account from the previous owner to your name. If the electricity is not yet active, you can easily establish a new contract with an electricity provider.

There are several electricity providers in Italy, allowing you to choose the one you prefer. ENEL is the national power company, but there are many others available. We recently switched to Italia Gas e Luce, which is a more environmentally friendly option that relies on wind power for its electricity generation and also offers lower rates. (If you're interested, you can use this link: https://www.plank.global/plank/attivaonline/IGL/index.php?custarea=1&refcode=E473309&lang=italian .)

To set up an electricity supply contract in Italy, you need to contact the provider and provide proof of identity, your tax number, bank details, and property information. It may be simpler to ask the current owner not to cancel their contract and instead transfer it into your name.

In our case, we had an excellent realtor who took care of the entire transfer process for us.

The standard electricity supply in Italy is 220 Volts (V) and 50 Hertz (Hz). A variety of plugs are used, including the European-style two-pin plug.

Step 3: The standard 3 kilowatts

In Italy, the standard household power capacity is 3.3 kilowatts (kW), which equals 3,300 watts. This amount is generally sufficient for most Italian households, provided that high-energy-consuming appliances, like a washing machine and a space heater, are not used simultaneously.

Step 4: 3 kilowatts in Puglia

When we rented a house in Puglia, we were aware of the 3 kilowatt limit, but it didn't pose any issues for us. We used both gas and electricity for our appliances and heating, so we never experienced any power outages. We made sure to avoid running the dishwasher and washing machine simultaneously, but aside from that, we didn't need to alter any of our habits to stay within the 3 kilowatt limit.

Step 5: 3 kilowatts in the historical center of our town in Tuscany

Some historical centers, like ours, do not have gas lines under the cobblestone streets. We had the option of using propane tanks for hot water or cooking, or converting everything to electricity. Since we didn't want the hassle and risks of a propane tank under our sink, we decided to remove it and convert everything to electric.

That's when the problems began.

"What happened to the lights?" I called to my partner upstairs. "I used the hot water up here; it must have tripped the switch!" he replied.

"Did you turn on the oven?" he asked me the following night when the whole house suddenly plunged into darkness. "Yes! I'll turn it off!" I called back.

"We can't use a space heater," he mentioned the next day.

It was true. We found ourselves in a frustrating situation where turning on one appliance would cause the electricity to go off if one of us turned on warm water to wash our hands.

This pattern continued—again and again.

Living in the middle of a renovation was already challenging. The added stress of being unable to use the microwave or cook on the stove for fear of losing electricity made it even worse.

Step 6: How we resolved our electricity challenge

We had no idea how to request more than 3 kilowatts of electricity, so we turned to our realtor for help. I must say, we have the best realtor. He and his team not only sold us a house but also provided us with support, guidance, and friendship.

"No problem. Will 6 kilowatts be enough? I can take care of that for you," our realtor assured us.

It took a few days, but when the 6 kilowatts were activated, we felt like celebrating. We no longer had to worry about blackouts, cooking and running hot water at the same time, or washing clothes while using a toaster!

Our local friends had warned us about the costs, but based on our first bill, it's much less than what we were paying for electricity in California.

We don't want to be electricity hogs, so we are careful not to waste energy and are adapting to the energy usage in our area. However, increasing our kilowatts was the right decision for us since our historical center relies on electricity rather than gas for energy.

Insights: When establishing a life in Italy, it's important to adapt to local customs, including energy usage. This strategy worked well for us in Puglia; however, in the historic center of our town in Tuscany, our initial limit of 3 kilowatts was insufficient since we didn't have gas-based energy. Increasing our limit to 6 kilowatts allowed us to be comfortable while still using less energy than we did in California.

Switching to wind power has decreased our energy costs, making our energy usage more environmentally friendly.

More next time.

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