What should I do if the power goes down?
In short
Most apartments in Italy run on a contracted power limit, usually around 3 kW. Think of it as a budget for everything you have switched on at the same time: go past it and the safety switch cuts the power until you flip it back up. In a heatwave that limit is easy to reach, so two habits keep the lights on:
Don't run the heavy appliances at the same time. Air conditioning, washing machine, oven, hairdryer and electric kettle are the big draws. Use them one at a time rather than all at once.
Keep the AC at a steady 24–25°C. Setting it colder won't cool the room any faster. It only pulls more power, and a flat kept icy cold is harder on your body every time you step back out into the summer heat than a constant, comfortable temperature.
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If the power does cut out, first check whether it's only your apartment or the whole street. A quick look at your neighbours' windows usually tells you.
Only your apartment? You've gone over your power limit and tripped the safety switch. Reset it at the electrical panel: your apartment's house manual shows where the panel is. Flip the main switch back up and turn off whatever caused the overload, and the power returns straight away.
The whole block is dark? That isn't your panel, it's the local grid. Florence's historic centre runs on cables laid long before every home had air conditioning, and on the hottest afternoons, when the whole neighbourhood switches it on at once, they get pushed past their limit. There's nothing to reset on your side, and it isn't something our team can switch back on for you either: it's the city's network, and it normally comes back by itself before long.
If your own switch won't stay up, or the street stays dark for a while, message us on Acacia's WhatsApp and we'll help with anything on the apartment's side.