Portugal: 80 amps multiplied by 240 volts = 19.2kVa

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Now that we are in March and spring is pretty much here, I think it's time to chat about my 1st winter in Portugal, what it's like and how it's different to the UK.

First of all, when people research into the Algarve, they think it's tropical paradise year-round, especially when websites tell you there are over 300 days sunshine per year, the temp rarely drops below 10c and daytimes you are sweating outside. Now to an extent this is true ... but as anywhere, there are differences you have to get used to.

Because the summer is soooo hot here (hit 42c last summer I believe), the houses/apartments here are built to be cool in the summer, not to be warm in the winter. They are not well insulated and it is rare to see central heating or a gas supply in accommodation here ... you are relying on expensive electrical heating (and electricity generally is very expensive here compared to UK) and battling with the fact that heat dissipates out so quickly.

I'd say it was December when I first started feeling cold inside my apartment. When I lived in Cambridge I was used to leaving my house at 23c constantly, and anything below felt too cold. During my London days I got used to dealing with colder temperatures as I was in a shared house and hence compromises to be made. In Portugal I have gotten used to living in colder temperatures as there hasn't been much of a choice.

The first thing I noticed in Dec was that the apartment was at the very best the same temperature as outside (due to the construction and the many gaps/vents throughout that let air in, something I need to look at and seal up for next yr). As we came into early January, I noticed that the apartment was actually colder than outside. In the mornings I would open the windows/doors to 'let the heat in' ... I know this sounds strange but it's true ... my thermometer even told me this. Now although in the evenings the apartment was hardly warmer than outside, the temperature didn't drop inside below 15c ... that seems to be the threshold I've been living on for Dec/Jan/Feb.

What about heating options? Ok, luckily I have reverse-cycle aircon units meaning they can be used to heat up the apartment. They aren't super great when it's really cold but are very efficient on electricity as they in essence bring heat in from outside (even when it's cold, read up on this, it's epic) ... so some free heat being generated. I was using this initially but in Dec I realized I started having problems with my eyes. I've felt this before, after laser surgery where they would be very dry and then get inflamed and feel horrible ... to the point of not wanting to open them up. I went to an opticians here who confirmed what I already knew (free eye test too, but she said I needed glasses, lols ... yh right, not after laser surgery, I read every frickin line for the woman). But I ended up using antibiotics and fake tear drops (which I even used yesterday, it's a never-ending bottle of tears). I did some research on aircon use and realized some people's eyes or skin are affected as it is also a dehumidifier. I actually ended up buying a hygrometer from eBay which tells me the moisture level in the air .... so I could maybe use the aircon and humidify the air with pans of boiling water, wet washing, etc. I had to first calibrate the unit by placing it in a sealed plastic bag with a bottle cap full of table salt and water and leaving it for 24 hrs, as the reading should be 85% and if the unit says 91% you know to subtract 6% from whatever reading it gives you (some units allow you to change the reading with a dial, my digital one doesn't). But then things got more confusing as the hygrometer told me the apartment was 80/90% humid ... so that contradicted my theory, and the sunny days when the humidity went down to 50% the eyes would start healing .... so maybe Im just not used to aircon for heating, dunno. One things for sure, I needed to stop using this form of heating as it was causing me grief.

Next I bought an electrical 2.5kWh oil-filled heater .... much much more expensive to run, but these should do wonders, right. Did it? nope, I have an open-plan apartment and I'd need to run that for 3 to 4 hrs to increase the temp by just 1 degree celsius ... as there's a constant battle with heat being lost to the outside. What I ended up doing was using the following combination to keep me warm: a) thermal socks, b) 2 shirts and a fleece, c) blanket doubled up, d) oil heater right next to me so i get the feeling that its warm around me, e) hot water bottle at night in bed (or as my sister calls it, a bokbok) with 2 blankets and a quilt I imported from Argos. They don't believe in proper bedding here, you just can't find a duvet or decent pillows. This was a good solution and I was greatful the Algarve night temperature doesn't drop that low, because if it were 0c outside, that's what I'd have to deal with inside ... ouch. Eventually the body gets used to this way of living and walking around in the cold. Since then i find that when the temp has increased to lets say 18c where I can walk bare feet over the tile floors, the body feels colder than when its 15c and Im wearing thermal socks ... strange.

When I first starting using my 2.5kw heater, I realized something else about this place. I had the heater on and started cooking on the electrical hob (making one of my special crazy random delights no doubt), then switched the kettle on, and kaplonk ... the electricity blew ... the circuit breaker tripped. So I reset the system and it does it again. This is when i realized that there's a limit on what electrical appliances I can use here. It didn't seem like a lot. I researched into it and I had a limit of 4.6 kVa. This actually means with the power factor included that I have less than 4.6kW allowed to be used at any one time. So the heater on full setting is 2.5kWh, kettle probably 2, the hob 1.5 each, microwave 1kWh, extractor fan not sure, maybe 500w ... then a little bit for lights, tv, router, etc.

In the UK you get a lot more in a house even when the heating is done with gas. To work out how much you're allowed, take a look at the main fuse in the fusebox. Standard is 80A, so 80 amps multiplied by 240 volts = 19'200vA, divide by 1'000 = 19.2kVa approx. I had a 20A fuse in, and the electricity here is 220v, so 20 * 220 / 1000 = 4.4 ... and my electricity bill says 4.6kVa, so around about there. I phoned them up and said "duuuudes, this isn't enough, can you please increase it?" ... so they sent an engineer around to swap the 20A to a 30A fuse ... which is the maximum possible for this apartment (and costs me more per month as I have a fee for 'potência' being given), so I got a 50% increase to 6.9kVa. It still isn't brilliant, but if I'm careful about timing things and for example don't turn the kettle on with the heater/hoover, etc, it all works out fine. I haven't had a blowout since December so it's working. Actually, when the engineer came the conversation started as follows (translated into English of course):

He: Do you have any computers switched on?
Me: Yes, got a laptop here which is obv battery, but I have a desktop on next door
He: You need to turn it off as I turn off the circuit board to change the fuse
Me: Ok (and off I go in the bedroom to shut everything down all my apps, the usual Windows shenanigans). Then I shout out "it's off"
He: immediately responds "oh, I already changed the fuse, see ya later" ... and he left faster than Windows XP could do it's thing

In mid-Jan my sister came here for a few weeks and I warned/prepped her many times before coming as to how cold it is and don't be fooled by online weather reports ... the inside and outside are not the same. When she arrived it hit her and she was wondering how she'd cope .... but after a week got used to it. And then the sun started scorching daytime end of Jan. Then again, the sunnier the day and clearer the skies, the colder the night.

And now we're in March. Wet week but my thermo is telling me my apartment is 18.9c today and 80% humidity ... and very mild outside. I know April will feel like summer as I've visited here the past 2 Aprils ... fun times.

And there my good friends, is Etchy Boy's guide to winter in the Algarve. Next winter I can explore the use of calor gas ... been down that path back in my Tamworth days long long ago.

Take care peeps !!

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