Electrical Power and Power Plug in Switzerland

This page provides information about electrical power supply in Switzerland, which is - at least as far as the plug is concerned - different from all other European countries.

1. Voltage and frequency:

Voltage and frequency are the same in most European countries:

Voltage: 220 V
Frequency: 50 Hz

For electrical devices with high power consumption (such as water heathers, air conditioners etc.), it is possible to have a 380 V power supply, but they use different connectors, so it is not possible to plug a 220 V device into a 380 V power outlet.

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2. Power plug:

This is what the Swiss power plug and power outlet look like (not in true scale !):

The distance between the pin at the top and the pin at the bottom is 19 mm. This dimension is the same in most European countries. On the picture above, the pin at the top is connected to phase and the pin at the bottom is connected to the neutral line. The pin in the middle is connected to ground, this pin is optional on the plug. This pin layout is found in Switzerland only.

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Electrical Power and Power Plug in Switzerland

Table of contents:

1. Voltage and frequency:

2. Power plug: