Anders Karbin mumbles and places the boiling coffee pot on the modern stove. Next to it, the fire crackles in the hand-renovated old wood-burning stove.
He puts his glasses on his forehead and says:
– If Putin starts arguing, I can cope even if the power goes out.
He can heat water, cook food and turn up the heat even in the event of a power outage on the wood stove.
I have been working as a cleaner for 38 years. The sweeping area is larger than Skåne and Blekinge combined. Over the years he has had the opportunity to investigate countless heating solutions in boiler rooms throughout eastern Norrbotten and Tornedalen.
Each year the car typically has 5,000 miles on it. Many hours of dead time between the house in Morjärv and the customers. Spent time thinking about how to minimize his electricity and heating costs.
Many years ago Anders Karbin began converting the house’s heating to a water-based system, a costly investment that could have cost 100,000 crowns.
– Then it was possible to get some grants. But I also looked for used things that could be used, he says.
In the early years, he used wood chips to make a fire that heated the elements contained in the water. But the dust from the chips gave him an allergy, so he had to rethink his approach.
– Finding the most efficient system is the 10,000 crown question. However, it is important to keep up with new technology but also not forget older solutions.
There are now both solar panels and solar cells on the roof of the house in Morjärv. The solar panels transfer heat to the water heating system, while the solar cells generate electricity regularly.
He installed a 50-year-old wood boiler outside in the garage that is connected to the heating system. In the same room, the pump is responsible for geothermal energy.
Like many others in Sweden, he was horrified when the January electricity bill arrived. Typically, the home is heated primarily by geothermal energy, but the pump that keeps the system running is powered by electricity.
– I’ve turned it off now and it only burns in the pan. Damn, the electric company won’t get another month.
Anders Karbin says that many people who have switched from wood heating to geothermal or geothermal heating have thrown away their old wood boilers – which can serve as a backup if electricity prices skyrocket or the power goes out.
– I gave 500 SEK for my wood boiler. Now it heats the whole house.
In his opinion, burning wood is an excellent energy reserve.
– But it is important to get firewood at reasonable prices.
He has sat down in an armchair in the boiler room and quotes an older uncle who he usually cleans up:
– “It is not wealth to have firewood, but it is poverty to go without it.”
– It’s simply a matter of doing what people used to do: buying long logs and cutting, splitting and stacking them yourself.
Anders Karbin believes that many people will “sit in the mailbox with their beards” when electricity prices rise.
His top tip If you want to influence your electricity prices, you should start from the conditions in your own home. Often installing a modern air source heat pump, supplementing it with some good electrical elements and burning it in a furnace can have an impact on electricity consumption.
– I didn’t quite succeed, but freedom means being able to produce electricity and heat yourself.
Anders Karbin has gone out and is shivering in the yard. The temperatures have been around minus 20 degrees for several weeks. He explains:
– The only way to be completely independent of electricity suppliers is to move into the forest and live off the grid.
Read more:
The penalty for charging the electric car in the mountain hut is SEK 2,200
The price of electricity will rise in 2026 – hitting the north hard
