Is Firewood Already More Expensive Than Gas? An Expert Explains the Best Way to Heat Your Home in Winter
15 August 21:15
YOUTUBE
The cost of firewood has risen so much that, for some Ukrainian families, heating with gas may now be cheaper than using a solid-fuel boiler. This was stated by Yuriy Korolchuk, co-founder of the Institute for Energy Strategies, in an interview with the "Komersant Ukrainian" YouTube channel.
Commenting on government programs offering preferential loans for the installation of stoves, fireplaces, and solid-fuel boilers, the expert urged people to first calculate the actual costs before switching to alternative heating.
“Everyone needs to do the math for themselves. Because you might save money for two years and be happy about it. But then you’ll spend the next 10 years paying for it—either at a high price or under extremely difficult conditions,” Korolchuk explained.
According to him, the situation on the wood market has changed so much that firewood is no longer always a cheaper alternative to gas.
“Firewood has become so expensive that it turns out it’s actually cheaper to heat with gas right now,” he noted.
Separately, the expert criticized the mechanism for issuing loans to install independent heating systems. In his opinion, this model may be inconvenient for the people who need help the most—particularly elderly residents of rural areas.
“We need to do it differently. We need to identify the people who need help. There’s a list; village heads determine who really needs it. You submit the list to the Cabinet of Ministers; the Cabinet reviews it, verifies it, and issues the loans. This is what’s known as targeted assistance—the European way,” Korolchuk stated.
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