“We heat as much as we can, especially with scraps and slats from the floors. Fortunately, we have a source from a nearby production, “says the head of the family, forty-five-year-old Radek. They are lucky that in the family house they also have a fireplace insert with hot air distribution to the rooms.
Radek admits that the slats are painted, so what he doesn’t have goes into the air. However, he is not afraid of a possible statement to the Department of the Environment. According to him, the remains of the floors are now heating his neighbors as well.
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“What should I do? The house is on a mortgage and what happens to the energy is a blow to the ligament. I have to come up with the money and we won’t freeze at home. We planned to install a heat pump before the price went up, but I don’t know how it will turn out now, “says Radek. The company gave him a budget of about 350 thousand crowns.
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However, when he asked the craftsmen if the pump would heat the house enough even in severe frosts, they replied that it would not be seen until after installation. “And then they say they may have to replace the radiators. And we are already climbing up to half a million with the price, and that is not yet certain when the materials become so expensive, “he added.
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Fourteen days ago, Radek at least quickly self-insulated the garage. “But when the frosts come during the day, I will still have to turn on the boiler so that the water does not crack,” he concludes.
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The pungent smoke is back
Other families think similarly to Radek’s. “Years ago, it was called ‘Smokers’ here. With the heating season before winter, it’s always shrouded in smoke, as everyone has been heating coal, coke, and the devil knows what else. This stench disappeared four or five years ago, ”recalls one of the homemakers in a picturesque valley by the Berounka River near Prague.
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People in older family houses then switched to gas or electric boilers, many of them have heat pumps and some even use solar systems. “But a fortnight ago we went back to the old days and in the evening we are covered in stinging smoke again. Someone has put the old boiler back into operation and is probably heating with not exactly high-quality coal. I’m not angry, it’s clear why this is happening, “adds the housewife.
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A small family of three from Žamberk also heats its smaller terraced house mainly with electricity. “We thought we would unplug the old boiler and throw it away. Not to mention that we didn’t do it. Now we’re drowning in what we can. I don’t put PET bottles there, but everything that is wooden, yes, and we don’t really deal with whether there is a bit of paint on it, “says Mirek, 53.
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“I heat mainly in a fireplace stove, even though I have a large hot water tank, heated by electricity for night electricity. I made arrangements with the gamekeeper, and in a fortnight I cut ten cubes of wood. Although it has now been claimed that wood heating is also unhealthy, but what should I do? ”Adds a capable 70-year-old from Vraný nad Vltavou.
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