The following is a brief guide to what appliances work and what doesn’t in Spain. the information give here is general advice and you should always consult the manufacturer of your appliance as to it’s suitability to work in different locations as well as the specific facilities in your own property and location

Please also see our Electrical Page regarding the Spanish Electrical Supply

Televisions

British TV's DON’T WORK in Spain, you get picture but no sound unless you have a multi region TV set so it’s worth checking before you buy one in the UK.

The reason for this is that British TV’s receive the signal in PAL I format, Most TV's in Europe receive the signal in PAL B or G format. The picture signal is that same but the sound signal operates on a different frequency. If you are planning to buy a TV prior to coming to live in Spain it’s advisable to check the technical specifications before purchasing.

If you have a British TV however you do have some options:

Have the TV "chipped" in Spain so it can receive Spanish signals

• Buy a Spanish VCR and connect it to your TV via the scart socket
• Only receive TV via a SKY digibox and dish although this is very expensive
• Throw away or sell your UK TV and buy a Spanish one

We can arrange to have your TV converted but this is only possible on certain  models

Video Recorders

These are practically useless in Spain, you can only playback tapes but not  record as they don't receive the sound

Available TV Channels

There are three systems currently available on the Costa Blanca depending on the age of your property and your physical location.

Older properties tend to be connected to the cable system  which receives approx. 40 channels although the majority are not in English. The current cost to receive cable is 156- 290 Euros per year depending where you live

The other alternative is the microwave system which relays the SKY satellite signal from a transmitter locally (There are several) which will give you 12 channels in English. These are

BBC 1 / BBC 2 / ITV 1 / Channel 4 / Channel 5 / SKY One / SKY Sports 1/ SKY Sports 2 / UK Gold / Discovery / SKY Movies / SKY News / Canal +

Cost of installation is usually around 500 Euros plus an annual subscription of 90-150 euros

However if you have to have ALL the channels you need a 2.4m dish capable of receiving the UK SKY signal.  From January SKY are lowering the signal strength and you will need the 2.4m dish to pick up the southern beam of Astra 2D

This system is going to cost you approx. 1800 euros !

You can also opt to receive the BBC prime signal from the Hotbird satellite this will give you the BBC channels, SKY one and SKY news plus other non English channels

Cost approx. 600 euros

It always pays to phone around and get a guaranteed signal prior to parting with your money.

Washing Machines

These normally work fine but many Spanish houses only have a cold fill outlet so if your machine has hot and cold fill you may need a “Y” piece to connect the hoses which are available from many Spanish hardware stores

Dishwashers

The same applies as to washing machines

Microwaves

Usually work fine with a change of plug

Small Appliances (Kettles / Toasters Hairdryers)

Again these usually work fine with a change of plug

[Home] [About Us] [Services] [How It Works] [Customer Benefits] [Appliance FAQ] [Electrical] [FAQ] [Contact Us]

Visitor Number