For many people, Cyprus is a southern and warm country. The island of Aphrodite gravitates towards a subtropical climate, so even in the winter months the thermometer on the coast rarely drops below +10 degrees Celsius.
But not this year. January in Cyprus became abnormally cold.
Residents and guests of the island have experienced firsthand all the charms of the Cypriot winter. Many people longingly remembering about the central heating, pulled out of the distant shelves down jackets and hats, losing the will to live, because to live and work in such cold is impossible.
This may seem strange, but if you study the issue thoroughly, you will find that an impressive part of the local "secondary" is not heated. Because of this, the inhabitants of such real estate have to buy various heaters, gas stoves or go to other household tricks to get warm.
Why are houses in Cyprus cold?
In fact, everything is very simple:
- Cyprus is characterized not only by warm summers, but also by cool, damp winters. The dampness and low temperatures cause a natural feeling of coldness, cotton and woolen clothes, bedding and other natural fabrics soak up moisture and become even colder than if the cold were dry.
- Poor quality of construction and not enough insulation leads to significant heat loss.
- Lack of heating systems in most homes.
Why are most properties in Cyprus not heated?
Most foreign buyers of real estate can not imagine at all: how is it, a house or apartment without heating? Only with the onset of cold weather they are horrified to discover that the purchased housing does not have batteries.
The fact is that the lion's share of Cypriot real estate, especially "secondary" - resort. This means that it is not intended for year-round use. The target audience of such housing is mainly foreigners who want to buy apartments for vacations and vacations. Usually such real estate is used a few weeks a year during the bathing season. In such conditions, central heating is not required. In addition, in addition to the missing batteries, we should note the thin walls (8 to 12 centimeters) and low foundations.
It should be said that during the construction boom in Cyprus such houses were built at an accelerated pace without taking into account the peculiarities of the region. So-called "cardboard" houses appeared with thin walls, cold floors and ceilings, not prepared for low temperatures and humidity. Window frames in such properties are usually not airtight, they are made of aluminum, have gaps in the joints of parts and the space between the panes. This contributes greatly to heat loss and the accumulation of dampness in the air.
It was only a few years ago that amendments were made to the building regulations in Cyprus that strengthened the minimum insulation requirements for buildings. The design of houses is now taking into account not only the warm climate in summer, but also the cold and damp climate in winter.
New buildings and energy efficiency
Today, new apartment buildings in Cyprus can boast not only warm floors and modern air conditioning systems. Among other things, local new buildings have energy efficiency certificates of at least level B.
Roughly speaking, houses with high energy efficiency lose less energy. And therefore require less money to keep warm. For example, a 100 m2 apartment can consume €1000 worth of energy per year (energy efficiency class D) or €350 (class A). You can draw your own conclusions. Thus, when buying an apartment in a Cypriot new building, you get not only a warm room, but also save on "utilities". In addition, such housing in the future, of course, will be easier to sell.
If you do not want to freeze in the winter in Cyprus, it is better to choose new buildings.
They will be more comfortable and cheaper to live in. In case of repair, pay attention to the replacement of double glazing (double glazing) and insulation of the facade, walls and roof. Fix cracks. Install underfloor heating (cost about 25 euros per 1 m2). But it should be borne in mind that some advanced technologies are suitable only for new buildings.
If we are talking about "secondary", and you somehow found yourself in the middle of winter in a cold room, you will have to use improvised means to heat up your place.
We offer a few lifehacks, how to warm up the apartment, if the heat of hearts is no longer enough, and the batteries are only a dream.
Make a fire
No, you should not practice the skill of making a fire in a single apartment - no matter how tempting the idea of making a fire in the middle of the living room and dancing around it like a rider of the icy Apocalypse, no one will advise you to do it.
And yet there are quite civilized ways to light a fire at home - these are candles. Maybe you've always hated the idea of creating a romantic atmosphere at home in such an obvious way, but now it's time to get over yourself: place small round candles around the house, pull out a candleholder that someone gave you a hundred years ago, light an apple and cinnamon scented candle - doesn't it get warmer?
Take a seat in the kitchen
When it's unbearably cold at home, the best way to keep warm is to get involved in cooking and eating, and it's best to cook in the oven, for obvious reasons - it's the one that generates the most heat.
It is not necessary to take on complex pies. However, the chopped dough for French quiche is best made in the cold. The dough, gathered in a lump, should be rolled out, laid out in a mold, put in it a filling in the form of, for example, boiled broccoli, stewed spinach and salmon, pour an egg beaten with milk and a pinch of salt, and bake.
However, this is just one and not the most obvious use of the oven. Here's an obvious one: don't like or know how to cook? Put potatoes or beets in the oven - just don't forget to wash them - and leave them there for an hour and a half. Baked vegetables are food, too.
Get some exercise
It's understandable that when it's cold at home, the only thing you want to do is curl up under a blanket. But challenge yourself and nature, remember that the best way to stay warm is to move, and the ideal way to lose weight is cardio exercise.
If you happen to have an exercise bike at home, that's great, all you have to do is remove a layer of stuff from it and you can pedal without leaving social media or even turning on the TV (let it work, it makes you warmer too). There is also something to do without an exercise bike - YouTube videos are designed not only for fitonnyashchy, but also for ordinary people.
You'll see: it's worth doing a simple yoga sequence called "Greetings to the Sun" a few times, and you'll forget all about the cold. And then the roasted beets will come along.
Take care of your extremities
We've known since childhood that fingers are the first to get cold. Maybe in December you haven't thought about it yet, but maybe in February it's time to find woolen socks in the depths of your closet? Don't be shy. Surely everyone has a pair they received as a gift or bought in a fit of sentimentality from a cute grandmother in a warm shawl back home - hooray, it's time to put the socks to good use.
Warm wool socks, a T-shirt, a sweatshirt with fleece and a scary mohair sweater and a hat with a pompom - now you look like a houseboy, but you are not cold, the house smells of roasted beets and scented candles with the smell of apple and cinnamon, and you just did yoga.
...And have a drink immediately
Not the Zivania! It will make you feel warmer, but alcohol actually lowers your body temperature. So put temptations aside: only yoga, only roasted beets and scented candles, only non-alcoholic hot drinks. Cocoa, hot tea, chicken broth, finally.
And in general, the best is ginger tea with lemon. It is enough to rub a piece of fresh ginger in a cup, put a lemon, just plucked from the tree, and pour it all with boiling water, let it infuse, and then add honey to the scalding in all senses of the word drink.
By the way, you can put spices in any of the options - they will enhance the warming placebo effect that hot liquids give.
And what good ways to warm up in winter in Cyprus do you know?
Interested in real estate in Cyprus? Welcome to DOM! Here you will find options for houses and apartments in Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca and Famagusta, as well as get help from experienced professionals.
Read also:
