Beating the chill during the winter has become fairly simple for UK homeowners, just turn the thermostat up and wait for the boiler to circulate hot water to the radiators. While it can get cold here, we’re not treated to the same harsh temperatures as some other countries around the world. So, what do they do to beat the cold?
We’ve taken a look at how natives of 4 countries that experience really cold temperatures keep themselves warm.
Finland
Summer in Finland only reaches around 17°C, with winter temperatures plummeting down to -22°C and even -50°C at its most northern point. In addition to harsh temperatures, some areas don’t get any sunlight for long periods during winter. So, what do you do to keep warm when it’s dark all day and the temperature rarely goes above 0? Well, in Finland, their answer is to visit the sauna.
A massive 99% of Finnish people are said to visit a sauna every single week and it’s no surprise seeing as there’s over 3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million people. To really feel the benefit, many will jump into cold icy water then head back into the sauna – the freezing cold water on warm skin is said to be very invigorating.
Denmark
If sweating in a really hot room doesn’t sound like fun to you, then Finland’s Scandinavian neighbours in Denmark have a much more comfortable way of warming up: hygge.
The Danish art of hygge has swept across the world in recent years. Hygge doesn’t have a direct translation in English but it’s all about getting cosy and switching off from modern technology to appreciate the little things in life. Light some candles, make yourself a nice warm drink and cuddle up under a blanket all in the name of hygge.
Korea
In Korea, temperatures can drop to -10°C, no thanks to Siberian winds from Russia, which makes heating the home incredibly important. Ondol, which translates to ‘hot stone’, is the name given to a way of heating stones underneath the home from the same heat used for cooking. This heat rises into the room and keep the home nice and warm through the winter.
Underfloor heating is an increasingly popular home heating choice for UK homes, as it’s seen as more luxurious than traditional radiators, but in Korea they’ve been doing something similar for centuries.
Japan
Many Japanese homes feature a Kotatsu, which is a very low table that has a heating unit underneath – powered by electricity rather than coal nowadays. The top of the table lifts up so that a thick blanket can be placed underneath which then traps the heat and warms everyone up as they sit around the table to eat.
Russia
In Russia, 70% of the heat that gets distributed to homes and workplaces around Russia is done so via district heating. District heating is a system that’s able to take one heat source and distribute the supply to several residential properties or commercial spaces. This is a highly effective way to provide heating to densely populated areas.
Improvements are currently being made to the system to make it more sustainable and improve the overall efficiency, with Moscow and St Petersburg boasting the most up-to-date district heating systems.
During the summer of 2019, the UK government is set to consult on the heating network around Britain, including the likelihood of heat networks, like those around Russia. Heat networks aren’t something new to these shores, 14,000 already exist, but the government is looking to secure new investment in the technology.
Broken Boiler?
If you’ve been reading this article to get ideas for how to keep warm because your boiler’s broken then save yourself a trip to the sauna by getting free boiler repair quotes from trusted heating engineers in your area today.
Complete a simple online form with Boiler Guide and you’ll be contacted by up to 3 engineers near you who will all provide quotes. All you have to do is decide which works best for you, or not, there’s no-obligation whatsoever.
