Cold and expensive vs hot, cheap and eco-friendly: The UK's and Sweden's contrasting home heating histories

clock • 18 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Two professors of energy studies – one British, the other Swedish – explore the very different histories of home heating in their countries.

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 -43.6C, the lowest recorded since records...

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