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The following guidelines are designed to protect yourself and others from fire and electric shock.
Electrical equipment in the UK operates between 220 to 240V and frequency of 50Hz using a 3 pin plug.
If you are an international student you have several options:
You can wait until you arrive in Glasgow and buy your appliances here which will have the appropriate plugs fitted. For example, hairdryers, GHD hair straighteners, and rice cookers.
If you bring your own electrical equipment with you, then you must use a worldwide adaptor that meets UK standards BS5733 AND BS1363. You can purchase these from Amazon. The adaptor must be fused to comply with our requirements.
If you bring electrical equipment in from the United States or Canada you may require step down transformers as US power operates at 110/120V 60Hz.
It's important to be aware of the wattage of your equipment, as it will not operate if it exceeds the wattage limit of the transformer.
Many students have multiple appliances. It's possible to use an extension lead. The loading on these must not exceed 13 amps. If you wish to use one, it must not have more than 4 sockets and must be fused. The extension lead should be surge protected and conform to BS1363A.
You must not overload your sockets – one extension lead per socket. Never connect an extension lead to another extension lead.
To assess if you are overloading your sockets go to electrical safety first and check the Socket Overload Calculator. This will show what you can plug into your extension lead safely. This site will also give you more information about electrical safety.