THE long summers in Cyprus leave everybody wondering how to cope with the extreme heat. But when winter finally arrives, people face an entirely different problem: how to keep warm in the face of spiralling fuel prices, which are now so high that many people can’t afford adequately to heat their homes.
The price of heating oil is currently 51 cents a litre as a result of these spiralling costs on the international markets, with oil nearly at a hundred dollars a barrel.
Earlier this month, however, Parliament approved a government-proposed 6.1 cent cut in the tax for heating fuel as a temporary measure to buffer consumers.
The head of the Petrol Station Owners’ Association this week told the Sunday Mail that the price was slightly higher than last year, “even though I cannot give you an exact figure as it was changing so often.”
Pambinos Charalambous added that at the turn of the century, the price was around 40 cents a litre.
“The public should try and put things into context and not complain too much, as Cyprus is currently one of the cheapest countries in Europe in which to buy heating fuel.”
His words didn’t appease citizens though.
Petros Ioannou who runs a kiosk in the old town of Nicosia, said he was dreading the coming winter.
“It cost me over £1,000 to heat my three-bedroom house over a four-month period last winter. I needed to fill up my tank three times, at a cost of around £400 a go. The tank then wouldn’t even last one month before running empty.
“If you want your home always to be heated, like in the US and the UK, forget about it. What I had to do was economise by using timers and switching off the heating in places where it wasn’t vital, such as the loft.
“This is an unacceptable situation, as heating, food and clothing are a necessity. We shouldn’t be cold because we can’t afford to switch on the heating.”
John Nicolaides spent even more money last year. “Over a two-and-a-half month period from mid-November to the end of January, I spent just short of £2,000 filling up my tank five times. My wife had just given birth and we were worried about the baby catching a cold and wanted the house warm at all times. Our house is open-plan so we couldn’t even cut off any rooms to economise.”
But the Consumers’ Association agreed with the petrol station owners that the price of heating fuel on the island was actually low compared to other European countries. Petros Markou added: “With the recent reduction on its tax to 1.2 cents a litre through to the end of March, this is the lowest rate allowed by the EU. We are satisfied with the price and must respect that the international price of oil has gone up tremendously. This is a fact that we cannot ignore.”
Suggestions such as insulation, double glazing or simply putting on an extra sweater have long been talked about, with an architect explaining that the primary issue is whether a house is designed with the correct form of insulation to keep the heat in. “In Cyprus, houses have been designed with minimal or no insulation whatsoever. Good design can minimise energy output.”
Dickon Irwin, a partner at Irwin & Kritioti Architecture in Nicosia, also said that another important factor to consider is the orientation of a building, which can go a long way to mitigating external factors such as the cold.
“Good orientation, like we saw with houses many years ago, reduces energy losses and increases useful energy gains.”
When designing new homes, “clients will listen to our recommendations and are now more willing to spend the money to properly insulate their homes from the beginning, in order to see the benefits of long-term savings further down the road. Rising fuel prices mean more people are now prepared to do this.”
Skandia manager Stelios Athanasiou said that he has noticed a trend of consumers switching to air-conditioning split units. “Last year, there was an increased demand just before winter and this has continued this year too,” he said. “The advantage is that the consumer will have heat exactly where he or she wants it and the units are very efficient, warming up a room quickly.”
Prices begin from £139, rising to £500 for a 24,000 BTU monster.
The sales manager of the NK Electrical Ltd in Nicosia, said the store sells “gas, oil and halogen heaters, with the latter being the most popular as they are cheaper and more practical. Prices are very reasonable and are often well under £40
He added: “We expect to sell more heaters of all types this winter, as the price of heating fuel is so high, meaning people can’t afford to use their central heating.”
According to Kleanthis Savva Developers: “We’re rarely asked to put central heating in our homes, only the provision for it. In fact, I would say that only a very small percentage our homes have central heating that is up and running,” a spokeswoman said.
“The vast majority of people use air conditioning split units, while I’ve also noticed more requests for fireplaces recently.”
According to several people living in mountain villages, it costs around £50 to fill up the back of a pick-up truck with wood, which can be used in fireplaces.
“The load will generally last me the entire winter, but only if it’s not the exclusive form of heating,” one man explained.
“Additionally, the fireplace is only really useful for one room, as it cannot heat the entire home.”
