Earth Notes: General Bibliography (ambrose2026histories)

• [ambrose2026histories] Ambrose, Aimee and Palm, Jenny Cold and expensive v hot, cheap and eco-friendly: the contrasting histories of home heating in the UK and Sweden (accessed 2026-02-17), editor(s) Keaveny, Paul and Herd, Mike, The Conversation, 2026-02-16, doi:10.64628/ab.hj3ekwtmg (article) (BibTeX).
  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. In the UK, meanwhile, home temperatures average just 16.6 degrees, the lowest in all of Europe. At least 6 million UK households fear the onset of cold weather because they are living in fuel poverty — unable to afford to heat their home to a safe and comfortable level.
  note

  [[**CS1] [**UF] [**UA] Quote: "By the mid-1990s, every Swedish home was rated by the EU as having comprehensive insulation and double glazing as a minimum. The equivalent figure in the UK in 2025 was only around 50%." Quote: "A sizable majority (74%) of UK homes are still heated by gas boilers — which emit around twice as much CO2 each year as some electric-powered heat pumps." Quote: "Both countries are entering a new phase where electrification via heat pumps may test the resilience of national grids and the fairness of pricing structures. Despite greater precarity in the UK, an established tolerance of lower indoor temperatures may mean that, as electricity prices are lowered by increased renewable energy production, UK households can achieve warmer homes using heat pumps than they have been able using gas. ... Conversely, Sweden's cultural expectation of uniformly high indoor temperatures may challenge its future energy sufficiency targets and climate goals ..." Quote: "Britain has tended to rely on individual responsibility and market-led solutions when it comes to home heating. The UK Warm Homes Plan, launched in January 2026, makes clear that heat pumps are the government's (and many scientists') favoured route to decarbonising domestic heating, with the exception of district heating schemes in a relatively small number of areas. But this requires incentivising households to move to heat pumps while removing short-term financial pain from this move. Ultimately, our research suggests that many UK households now understand that change needs to come."]