Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Cold and expensive v hot, cheap and eco-friendly: the contrasting histories of home heating in the UK and Sweden

Ambrose, Aimee and Palm, Jenny LU orcid (2026) In The Conversation
Abstract
The new year in Sweden began with some record-breaking cold temperatures. Temperatures in the village of Kvikkjokk in the northern Swedish part of Lapland dropped to -43.6°C, the lowest recorded since records began in 1887.

Yet for the majority of Swedish households, heating is not an issue. Those living in the multi-household apartment blocks that characterise Sweden’s towns and cities enjoy average temperatures of 22°C inside their homes, thanks to communal heating systems that keep room temperatures high and costs low. For many households, heating is charged at a flat rate and included in the rent they pay.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to specialist publication or newspaper
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Home heating, district heating, Sweden, United Kingdom, oral histories, energy justice, energy poverty
categories
Popular Science
in
The Conversation
ISSN
2201-5639
DOI
10.64628/AB.hj3ekwtmg
project
Looking back, moving forwards: a social and cultural history of home heating
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3d73f1fe-2ae7-417b-bcf4-4d61af68f073
date added to LUP
2026-02-23 19:15:28
date last changed
2026-02-24 09:30:54
@misc{3d73f1fe-2ae7-417b-bcf4-4d61af68f073,
  abstract     = {{The new year in Sweden began with some record-breaking cold temperatures. Temperatures in the village of Kvikkjokk in the northern Swedish part of Lapland dropped to -43.6°C, the lowest recorded since records began in 1887.<br/><br/>Yet for the majority of Swedish households, heating is not an issue. Those living in the multi-household apartment blocks that characterise Sweden’s towns and cities enjoy average temperatures of 22°C inside their homes, thanks to communal heating systems that keep room temperatures high and costs low. For many households, heating is charged at a flat rate and included in the rent they pay.}},
  author       = {{Ambrose, Aimee and Palm, Jenny}},
  issn         = {{2201-5639}},
  keywords     = {{Home heating; district heating; Sweden; United Kingdom; oral histories; energy justice; energy poverty}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  series       = {{The Conversation}},
  title        = {{Cold and expensive v hot, cheap and eco-friendly: the contrasting histories of home heating in the UK and Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.64628/AB.hj3ekwtmg}},
  doi          = {{10.64628/AB.hj3ekwtmg}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}