Power/Electrical Services to condo and or home in Belize?

Bsimpson

31 October 2016 19:27:06

Placencia, Stann Creek

Hi Folks

Can you provide an idea on the Power coming into a home or condo from the utility company in Belize?

Is it 208/120V or 220/110V, 240/120 Volt Single Phase? (All of the above would entail 2 Hot conductors and 1 Neutral Conductor, plus ground)
I assume the frequency is 60 Hz? I don't think it would be 50 Hz? This can be typical in Europe.

What is the typical current provided to a home of 1500 to 2000 Sq Ft? Here in Canada it is a 100 Amp Service. A condo could get away with 60 Amp of Incoming current.

For instance: most homes in Canada have a 100 Amp Service and my current home has a 200 Amp Service.

All of the above would be nice to know.

For anyone who replies, thank you in advance for your help.

Kind Regards
Brian Simpson

billdoesbelize

31 October 2016 20:05:50

253

Bullet Tree Falls, Cayo

Bsimpson;
I spent 30 years in electrical construction in Canada. While the power is the same here for homes, 120/240Volt 1Ph at 60Hz the codes (if there any) are certainly not. For example in Canada we are required to have receptacles every 10 - 12 feet of usable wall space, In Belize receptacles are generally placed where they are needed only. As a result, in Ontario we seldom got away with less than 200 Amp services in new homes. 100 Amps is sufficient for a home the size you mentioned. Because of higher electric cost most homes in Belize don't have an electric cloths dryer and stoves are usually propane (butane in Belize) which are usually the largest draws. In general due to no heating, there is no larger central AC unit either, usually smaller 20 Amp units are placed in bedrooms and maybe in the living area. Also CFL's are typically used for lighting. All of this results in load calculations and demands that are much lower here.

Hope that helps.

Find more topics on the Belize forum

Articles to help you in your expat project in Belize