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They've been signalling a 40%+ gas price increase for the winter in the news here in Romania. For the poor people and pensioners who often live month to month t

They've been signalling a 40%+ gas price increase for the winter in the news here in Romania. For the poor people and pensioners who often live month to month this is tragic news. They don't know how they'll make it when they'll have to choose between food and medicine or heat.

Scoundreller 5y ago
I’ll assume poor and pensioners live in one of two situations: a house where they have a wood stove, or in a building block where heating isn’t a huge cost because you’re surrounded on most sides by adjacent units, not the outside. Of course, the windows may have visible gaps/be single paned and there may not be any insulation, iunno. My Canadian new condo experience is that if you have a south facing view, you may not need to turn on your in-unit heat unless it’s -20C and windy. But that’s when built to modern standards.
bserge 5y ago
The answer is firewood. Often illegally acquired. But that's only for the rural folk.
- Ekaros 5y ago
  And they are thinking of banning that in cities... Not that it is wrong, particulate emissions can be real issue.
  - beezischillin 5y ago
    Cities tend to have central gas heating or communal here. Gas tends to be the cheapest option and electric the most expensive.
- beezischillin 5y ago
  Firewood is not cheap and is becoming increasingly harder to acquire. 10 cubic meter of processed and ready to use wood was around 750 or more euros this year and will be even more in the future. I put in an order at a mill in June and didn’t end up receiving anything due to bureaucracy shutting down businesses shipping out this year’s production. I don’t know if they ended up getting past that or not as I haven’t heard back on my reservation and I cancelled it. I managed to find the last of last year’s production at a local building supply store. They told me they will not be bringing new stock next year due to high costs and decreasing profit margins. I might have to completely transition to electric heating in 2022.
djrogers 5y ago
What percentage of living costs is gas normally during winter there? A 40% increase in 3% of your expenses isn't a big deal, but if it's 30% that would really hurt...
- oseityphelysiol 5y ago
  Really depends on the type of house you live in. Typical heating costs for 50m^2 apartments in “Khrushchevka” type buildings (probably the dominant housing situation across most post soviet states) should be around 50 Euros per month this heating season in Lithuania. Average state pension is around 400 euros, so on average, heating should be 12.5% of that.
- beezischillin 5y ago
  I can’t tell you from recent personal experience because I heat my house with firewood and IR panels but a winter’s worth of wood cost me twice the minimum wage. My gas heating costs were minimal when I lived in an apartment because it was really well insulated, surrounded by neighbours with similarly well-insulated apartments; I could heat that up with my desktop pc mining ethereum on a 290X back when that was profitable. ;) As an approximation, heating costs might rise for people less fortunate to close to 30-35% of their income if things end up as bad as I hear them expect.

Scoundreller 5y ago

I’ll assume poor and pensioners live in one of two situations: a house where they have a wood stove, or in a building block where heating isn’t a huge cost because you’re surrounded on most sides by adjacent units, not the outside. Of course, the windows may have visible gaps/be single paned and there may not be any insulation, iunno. My Canadian new condo experience is that if you have a south facing view, you may not need to turn on your in-unit heat unless it’s -20C and windy. But that’s when built to modern standards.

bserge 5y ago

The answer is firewood. Often illegally acquired. But that's only for the rural folk.

Ekaros 5y ago
And they are thinking of banning that in cities... Not that it is wrong, particulate emissions can be real issue.
- beezischillin 5y ago
  Cities tend to have central gas heating or communal here. Gas tends to be the cheapest option and electric the most expensive.
beezischillin 5y ago
Firewood is not cheap and is becoming increasingly harder to acquire. 10 cubic meter of processed and ready to use wood was around 750 or more euros this year and will be even more in the future. I put in an order at a mill in June and didn’t end up receiving anything due to bureaucracy shutting down businesses shipping out this year’s production. I don’t know if they ended up getting past that or not as I haven’t heard back on my reservation and I cancelled it. I managed to find the last of last year’s production at a local building supply store. They told me they will not be bringing new stock next year due to high costs and decreasing profit margins. I might have to completely transition to electric heating in 2022.

djrogers 5y ago

What percentage of living costs is gas normally during winter there? A 40% increase in 3% of your expenses isn't a big deal, but if it's 30% that would really hurt...

oseityphelysiol 5y ago
Really depends on the type of house you live in. Typical heating costs for 50m^2 apartments in “Khrushchevka” type buildings (probably the dominant housing situation across most post soviet states) should be around 50 Euros per month this heating season in Lithuania. Average state pension is around 400 euros, so on average, heating should be 12.5% of that.
beezischillin 5y ago
I can’t tell you from recent personal experience because I heat my house with firewood and IR panels but a winter’s worth of wood cost me twice the minimum wage. My gas heating costs were minimal when I lived in an apartment because it was really well insulated, surrounded by neighbours with similarly well-insulated apartments; I could heat that up with my desktop pc mining ethereum on a 290X back when that was profitable. ;) As an approximation, heating costs might rise for people less fortunate to close to 30-35% of their income if things end up as bad as I hear them expect.