Flaming June has given way to “Yellow Alert” July and it has been pretty hot for the last few days. The published temperature charts always give the temperature in the shade and you have to add on another 5°C to get an idea of what it is like when you are out and about. If you are thinking of following in our footsteps, the received wisdom is that July and August are the price you pay for living here. Even our Cypriot friends are wary of the heat.
Another factor to consider, when you are trying to see whether your budget will enable you to live here comfortably, is to understand that air conditioning is expensive to run and - unless you have a superhuman constitution - you will need it for three months of the year. It is absolutely essential at night to enable you to sleep comfortably, and on the hottest days you will find many people shut their blinds and heavy curtains, shut the doors and windows and switch on their air conditioning.
Living near the coast often means that there is a welcome breeze off the sea to cool things down. But if the breeze is off the land, it is anything but refreshing. Do not consider buying or renting any property that does not have full air conditioning. It is expensive to install as well. I suppose most people would not live in a house without central heating in the UK (if they had a choice) and the same should apply here in Cyprus. Keeping cool is something of an art form.
Ann needs a referral before making an appointment with the neurosurgeon in Nicosia, and so we are off to secure a tame doctor at Polis tomorrow. We are hoping against hope that the waiting list for her operation is not as long as was quoted, and - if there is any way to circumvent the queue - we shall take it. I suspect that the waiting time in the UK would be as long or even longer.
Our latest excuse to switch the air conditioning on during the day is that it will benefit our pets. Both cats and our dog are Cypriot but are finding the heat very demanding. Of course if we need to sit in the cool with them, then we shall just have to put up with that.
I suspect the government are rejoicing ... not about Brexit but the fact that England are diverting the attention of the public from the absolute shambles they are making of the negotiations with the EU. How Boris Johnson has not been put up against a wall and shot is, and will remain, a mystery. Talk about saboteurs and traitors. The Euroseptics in the Tory party will not be happy until the economy is in pieces. “Cut a deal with the EU to benefit the UK” ... absolutely no chance.
My wife and I will be following in your footsteps in the late Autumn this year. We're even thinking Polis area but promise we're not stalking you :-) We plan on eventually buying a 2 or 3 bed villa with a pool. I'm currently budgeting EUR1,200 for Leccy and EUR400 in wood/pellets annually. Given your comment about expensive do you think that would be enough?
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Robert
By and large you will probably not need wood for heating for more than a couple of months in the year. Wood costs between €100 and €120 per cubic metre. Our electricity costs for a two-bedroomed bungalow will be about €1500 a year. We do not stint on air conditioning and also use the heat from air conditioners to provide background heating in winter.
DeleteI should also mention we have a pool to run within those electricity costs. We plan to install a wood burning stove in November (all other things being equal) so our costs will change. So less electricity and no gas but costs for wood. Swings and roundabouts ... you will find insulation almost non-existent in most houses so that will be reflected in your costs. Good luck. We have never regretted the move for a moment.
DeleteMany thanks for the reply. Sounds like I have it about right as an assumption. Maybe a little under on the leccy but maybe a bit over on the wood/pellets.
DeleteYou say you're going to install a wood burner. Any reason you've decided against a pellet burner? I understand they are far more efficient and can also hold a fairly constant temperature.
There is a school of thought that suggests the manufacture of pellets is not very eco-friendly. When we went to our local, and highly regarded, supplier of stove - he rolled his eyes when I mentioned pellets, even though he stocked them. More gut feeling than anything else.
DeleteInteresting, I wonder why that is... I thought that the process was just sawdust (possibly a by product from other wood use / recycled wood) compressed under very high pressure. I guess that uses some energy but I would have thought more eco-friendly than felling virgin trees.
DeleteIs the stove supplier in Polis or do you have to head across to Paphos?
Polis. And he’s highly regarded locally.
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