I have been hearing for months how cold winters are here in Dunedin. They are miserable. However, Kiwis could never tell me why they are so bad. Do they get lots of snow? No. How about ice? Not really, just some frost. Large amounts of rain? No, it is quite mild. So what is the problem?? The cost of electricity is the problem!
We just received our electricity bill and it was $541. Ouch! Why was it so high? Well, first I should explain about the building codes here. There is not any insulation in the houses here, and the windows are single paned. In addition, the houses do not have central heating. Finally, there are several windows which are louver glass and never quite close! So, from the get go houses are drafty, damp and a bit chilly.
However, our rental house has 7 free standing heaters that can be used to heat up the rooms. Last month when it was a wee bit chilly, we plugged them in. Hence the problem.
Apparently, those heaters are really expensive to run, thus the $541.00 charge. Kiwis usually only use one heater, used in the room they spend most of their time. They do not heat the bedroom or any other room. Instead they put on more clothing layers!
Now I finally get why winters are so miserably cold in New Zealand.
Tomorrow I will going to buy some wool long johns!
2 comments:
I am soooo sorry that we had to leave just after the electric bill arrived. It was quite cozy while we were in residence! :0
Less fish and chips, more heat!
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