Type A and B

These types of electric sockets are primarily found in use in North America and are distinguished by two flat, vertical inputs. In the type B, these slots would be accompanied by a third hole, for the ground.

Type C

These are capable of handling a variety of voltages and are the standard for Europe, the Middle East, most of Africa and the former Soviet Republics.

Type D

Type D is a rounded, grounded socket that will conduct 250 volts, in either 5 or 15 amp varieties. This is widely used in the Pacific, as well as the African nations of Namibia and South Africa.

Type E

Same as the D, but the Type E will have the rounded openings with an additional male prong at the top. This is the standard in France, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Type F

Like the C, this version has exposed grounds at the top and bottom that act upon contact. This is in use in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Scandinavia, Portugal, Netherlands and Turkey.

Type G

In areas within Asia, powered at 13 amps, it provides 30 to 240 voltage through the socket.

Type H

Found in Israel and Palestine, it has four round holes, and will operate at 16 amps, 250 volts.

Type I

Three flat inputs in a triangle shape. This is a 10 amp plug, carrying 240 volts in the Australian area.

Type J and K

Three flat inputs, with 10 amps, 250 volts, the J is primarily used in Switzerland. The Danish standard K is a 13 amp plug with rounded contacts.

Type L

L is for Lire, and found primarily in Italy, rated for either 10 or 16 amps, with three round posts.

When you travel, especially out of country, you have two choices, unless you do some preparation. You can either take your electronics like a laptop with you and take your chances that you will be able to recharge it safely with unknown fluctuations in voltage, or you can leave it home. There is a saving grace available for travelers, who takes international considerations for power into its operation, and will allow you to use your precious electronics: a voltage converter.

What exactly is a voltage converter, you might ask? It is a very common device that takes international considerations for power supplies, and converts them into your country’s standard voltage, so that you can use it to run products that would otherwise be damaged or unable to run. It basically takes the higher voltage that is commonly used at various levels throughout the world, runs it through a personal transformer, and dispenses it at the standard level that you and your devices are used to being dispensed.

The transformer can change the voltage by the use of electromagnetic induction. The current running through the primary circuit is used to create a magnetic field. Changes in the current alter the magnetic field, and alters the voltage in the secondary circuit, the one that is applied to your devices.

These devices are actually quite energy efficient, compared to the devices they normally power abroad. They will suffer only a slight amount of power loss by changing voltages. Most electronics in North America, operate through an issued stock standard transformer, at 110 volts. A travel transformer is actually twice more efficient in power savings than those units, even with their supposedly good energy ratings.

Everywhere we look these days, whether inside the home or out of it, we see electric adapters. They come standard issue with most small electronics, from I-pods to laptops, and we simply cannot do without them. To conserve energy, we are told, we need to constantly be alert in their usage, keep them organized, and do everything we can to use them properly, spending more time worrying about what we are using, as opposed to what we should be using. Maybe if we all understood what was happening when we use these little wonders, we would be more mindful of what our daily consumption really is.

AC electric adapters seem to come as standard equipment with just about everything these days. If they are lost, they are easily replaced because they are cheaply made, and not very power efficient when it comes to conservation. We can organized the little devils by plugging them into a power strip, reducing the amount of things plugged into an outlet to just one. Power strips conserve energy by drawing only the amount of energy it needs to power whatever is plugged into it. And, they come with easily accessible on/off switches to turn everything, off.

The adapters, while useful, will continue to draw power, even if the device they were made for, is switched off. By plugging them into a power strip, they cannot continuously draw if the strip is switched off, the only way these things are ever going to be energy conscious. Also, by themselves, if there is a power surge, not only is there a chance that the item they power will be damaged, they could also damage the circuit they are plugged into. With a power strip, the built-in surge protector will save the day.

This is one of the most common do-it-yourself projects that anyone will take on when they are looking at renovating their homes: moving and replacing wall sockets. Easily done by the average electrician, in today’s economy, more people are trying to reduce costs by doing it themselves. This is not something that you can just learn on the fly, you have to know what you are doing to be successful at grounding electrical sockets.

Making sure that this task has been done correctly is very important, beyond just having access to power through that particular socket. By grounding electrical sockets correctly you are protecting anyone who uses it from being shocked, and you prevent any chance of an electrical fire from ever occurring. This is extremely important if you are renovating an older home, as most of them were constructed without grounds for electricity usage, primarily because some of them may not have had electric power when they were built.

You will need grounding wire, standard three-pronged outlets, wire cutters, pliers and a screwdriver. The first step is to cut the power to the socket. Make sure that you can run the copper grounding wire safely to the fuse box from the outlet. If yes, wrap one end of the wire to the grounding bar inside the fuse box, and make sure it is firmly attached. The other end will be run through the wall, and connected to the green grounding screw located inside the outlet box.

If you cannot successfully ground the outlet safely, call an electrician. Some modifications may require medium other than the copper wire, and an expert would know at a glance what a novice will not.  You will need to make sure that the fuse box is properly grounded, too.