Cheap heating for cold regions: heat pumps, firewood and low-cost insulation

Cheap heating in cold regions: the heat pump myth and the reality of poor insulation

Heat pumps boast outputs of up to 4.4 kW of heat per kW of electricity, but electricity prices in Spain turn that theoretical efficiency into a painful bill. It is not that the unit does not work; it is that a kilowatt costs what it costs. Meanwhile, in Switzerland a single fireplace is enough for houses buried in snow, while here, with temperatures that rarely drop below 5ºC, we need complex and expensive systems. The problem is not the cold: it is construction quality.

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Insulate, yes, but how in a rented flat?

Spanish housing loses heat like a sieve. Poorly sealed windows, uninsulated roller-shutter boxes, walls with no cavity. Renters have cheap options: silicone for gaps, thick curtains, rugs, or the classic trick of a towel on the windowsill. Some go for polystyrene-insulated cladding, an effective solution without major building work. But the real savings lie in not buying a townhouse or a penthouse, and keeping the thermostat at 18ºC during the day and 15ºC at night. Not segarro, but it works.

Firewood, butane, pellets: back to basics

Wood stoves remain the cheapest option if you can get free firewood, but in urban flats they are limited by regulations (the Spanish Technical Building Code bans atmospheric boilers) and by the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Butane, at €13 a bottle, is another cheap alternative, though not a healthy one. Pellet stoves promise a balance, although their purchase price is high. In any case, the fallacy of "miracle" systems such as blue heat is debunked by their exorbitant cost.

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In the end, the debate leaves an uncomfortable conclusion: as long as decent insulation is not required in new builds, heating costs will keep being a hole in the pocket of anyone living in cold regions. Perhaps the most realistic solution is to move to Spain's Mediterranean coast.

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