Winter in Albania — Practical Tips and Smart Solutions

Winter in Albania presents two problems for people — cold and mold.

How to stay warm in winter and prevent mold growth: this will be discussed in this article.

I will write about Vlora (a coastal city) since I have been living here for three years.

Winter in Albania — Cold and Mold

The situation in Albania during winter is as follows:

• First, there is no central heating. This means that winter in modern apartment buildings is cold.
• Second, winter lasts for three months (December, January, February). It is during this period that heating is required. In addition, the last month of autumn (November) and the first month of spring (March) are usually also cold.
• Third, mold grows in enclosed (sealed) spaces, which is then difficult to remove.

Conclusion: a resident must cope with the cold for five months and prevent mold growth.

Features of Vlora in Winter

Vlora is located on the seashore and is constantly exposed to sea winds.

The sea and frequent rains create high humidity in winter.

If rooms are not heated and ventilated, dampness appears in them and, as a result, mold develops.

In winter, the air temperature drops to 3-6 degrees Celsius at night and 9-12 degrees Celsius during the day, with strong gusty winds from the sea, sometimes reaching up to 40 meters per second.

Note that the air temperature can be 1-3 degrees lower if you go higher into the mountains. The higher the house is in the mountains, the colder it will be under otherwise equal conditions.

Heating a modern apartment requires electricity and devices that generate heat.

In private houses, firewood is often used for heating.

Apartment Heating in Albania in Winter

Heating options vary and depend on a person’s budget:

• Air conditioner in heating mode;
• Infrared (quartz) heaters;
• Oil radiators;
• Coil heaters;
• Various heating panels.

Additional sources of heat:

• Electric towel warmer in the bathroom;
• Electric underfloor heating, installed under laminate flooring.

Some people live in a small room during winter and do not heat a spacious living room.

Different people use different approaches: the size of the wallet determines priorities.

The essence: the larger the apartment area, the more expensive it is to heat it in winter.

Heaters in Albania

Convectors with Smooth Adjustment

An option for constant heating at low power.

The power of various devices ranges from 1 to 3 kW.

Disadvantage: continuous use leads to high electricity costs.

Electric Blanket

A very economical and simple option for heating a bed (sofa).

Power consumption ranges from 0.4 to 0.8 kW.

It needs to be turned on for about 15-20 minutes before going to bed.

Blankets come in different widths: 90 cm, 160 cm, 200 cm. The price of the blanket depends on its width.

Advantage: very low costs in terms of money with high efficiency for comfortable sleep.

Coil Heaters

Used by the local population in winter as they are the cheapest in price.

Disadvantage: they dry the air by removing oxygen from it.

The reason is simple: dust previously settled on the coils burns. When the dust burns, oxygen is consumed, and the air “dries out.”

The resulting “dryness” effect is explained by the reduction of oxygen in the room’s volume.

Power consumption ranges from 1 to 3 kW.

Quartz Infrared Heaters

Widely used throughout Albania.

You will find this type of heater in both horizontal and vertical designs at any market.

Power: from 1.2 kW to 5 kW.

Advantages: quite economical if you manually alternate “on and off” cycles.

Oil Radiators

Also widely used in Albania.

Prices vary among different manufacturers.

The price for a model with 8-10 sections ranges from 7000 lek to 10000 lek (70 to 100 euros).

Advantages: quite economical if alternating between “on and off” modes.

Where to Buy a Heater in Albania

Where can you buy a heater in Albania?

You can purchase heating devices at your nearest store or market.

Here is a list of retail chains:

• Megatek shopping center near Tirana (accessible by city bus);
• NEPTUN chain of stores;
• AZA chain of stores;
• Shpresa chain of stores;
• Markets and small private shops in any Albanian city.

The largest selection is in the Megatek store, which offers free delivery to Albanian cities within 2-3 days after ordering.

There is a large selection of stores, and the choice is yours.

Fighting Mold in Winter in Albania

Let’s talk about mold.

The most important condition for the appearance and growth of mold is the presence of an enclosed space.

In a “closed space,” mold creates its own special microclimate, where other factors (darkness, humidity, temperature) act as catalysts (accelerators) for its growth process.

Mold will inevitably appear in a damp “closed space” because ideal conditions for its growth are created.

Ventilation simultaneously removes two elements from the list of conditions: enclosure and humidity, thereby preventing development and progress even in the absence of sunlight.

Sunlight is deadly for mold. If you expose mold to the sun, it will die instantly. However, there is no sun inside apartments.

The only working solution for rooms without sunlight is regular ventilation. As a result, humidity decreases, enclosure disappears, and therefore, the aura in which mold lives disappears.

Now I am not surprised by open windows in Albanian homes both in winter and summer. People have lived in a mild humid climate for centuries and know perfectly well how to deal with natural problems.

Laundry is dried outside even if there are no balconies in the house. It is hung outside on the facade and (attention!) even in stairwells on railings between floors.

And this is the right approach, developed through centuries of practice.

Winter in Albania: Tips and Solutions

• Take care of heating appliances in advance. When winter begins, the selection of heaters will be limited, prices will be higher, and searching will take longer.
• Use an electric blanket by placing it under the bed sheet: it creates warmth and saves electricity. It is enough to turn it on 30 minutes before bed to warm the bed and blanket from the inside to 36-37 degrees Celsius.
• Constantly ventilate all rooms both in winter and summer by opening windows. Opening all windows daily for 30-40 minutes is enough to prevent mold and window condensation. During this time, the room does not have time to cool down, but the risk of mold appearing is completely eliminated.
• Dry washed laundry outside or on the balcony. Do not dry it indoors.
• Do not put washed dishes in kitchen cabinets, as mold will appear there. Buy an open rack for washed dishes. Dry dishes outside. Store only dry dishes and pots in cabinets.
• When washing floors, open all windows and create a short-term draft. The floors dry quickly, and mold will not appear in this case.
• Occasionally ventilate all cabinets: to do this, open all doors and pull out all drawers for ventilation. It is most convenient to do this when windows are open and there is a draft from the street.
• In summer, hang woolen blankets and natural items in the sun. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant that prevents various pathologies from developing anywhere.
• If your apartment is on the sunny side, then in summer, open all windows and let the sun’s rays penetrate inside the rooms.

Remember: mold appears only where people fear drafts and do not ventilate rooms.

I hope these tips have been useful to you and that winter in Albania will not bring you surprises.

👉 If you want to better understand the country as a whole, check out the article Albania — Key Facts and Information about the Country. It contains key information about the language, currency, holidays, climate, and other peculiarities.

Shorts: The Promenade in Central Vlora in Winter

Shot Date: November 2, 2024

This video captures a winter storm in Vlora, Albania. Powerful waves crash onto the promenade — the elements and the beauty of the sea in a single frame.

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