Last month, average temperatures in Finland were two degrees colder than usual, according to Jukka Leskelä of the Finnish Energy Industries (ET).
In order to keep warm, some households have installed extra heating devices and radiators, thus increasing their bills.
”We have estimated that the persons living in flats heated with district heating will pay about six euros more in December, while residents in private homes will pay about 12 euros more,” says Leskelä.
Homes using electric heating will face even higher heating costs in December -- up to 15 to 30 euros more. However, costs are affected by a variety of factors, including the location of the home, insulation and room temperature settings.
As a rule of thumb, Leskelä says that when temperatures fall by one degree outdoors, heating energy consumption increases by about five percent.
“This winter has been very cold. The past couple of winters were warm ones. Consumption of heating energy can vary easily by 20 percent from winter to winter. But people should keep in mind that their annual energy bill usually evens out in the end,” he says.