On Fri, 08 Sep 2006 08:49:02 -0500, John Hines
wrote:

"Flintstone" wrote:

I am just wiring my ceiling lights in my new home in Switzerland but
noticed that they appear to be wired at random. I know that on most
simple lights you can connect live-neutral & neutral-live but I would
like the wiring to match up properly as I may add smart devices in the
future.

Neutral is a US (north America) only thing, with the 110v usage. Europe
is all 220v.


Not quite accurate...

In many if not all countries that use 220 volts, one side of that 220
volts is at ground potential and is considered a neutral wire. The
other side is the "HOT" wire with a nominal value of 220 Volts to
ground.

There can also be an optional safety grounding conductor, usually
called the "Earth" connection in the Euro lingo.

Some 220V countries use polarized receptacles just like the US to keep
continuity with the (hot and neutral wires) and some countries do not.

Beachcomber