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| A tent set up inside a bedroom for the provision of extra heat. Korea Times file |
By Lee Kyung-min
A man in his 20s, surnamed Kim, has set up a tent over his bed, a decision he said has greatly helped with the recent cold wave. He lives alone in a small housing unit that provides centralized heating.
"I was unsure about it at first," he said. "But now that I have used it for a couple of days, I understand why this was so popular online. It's better than you think. I highly recommend it."
He had set the thermostat to 15 degrees Celsius, the lowest manually settable temperature and seldom comes out from the tent once he is in.
The plastic material of the tent is not at all breathable, effectively trapping the air and body heat inside. Prices vary, but they can go for as low as about 25,000 won including shipping.
"I don't think higher prices in this case necessarily guarantee that they do a better job of keeping the air warm. Items cheaper than 30,000 won should be enough."
Setting up a tent in a bedroom seemed a little too desperate at first, he said. But that quickly changed when he received a gas bill that cost him almost double the rate from a year earlier ― in December.
"I am one of many who were stunned ― to say the least ― to see December's gas bill. I heard the rates will go up this year because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is not likely to end any time soon. Not having heating is not an option, especially given the recent brutal cold wave. This is the least I can do to help cut costs."
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| Winter-clothed commuters cross a street in downtown Seoul, Wednesday. The temperature dropped to an intra-day low of minus 17.3 degrees Celsius. Korea Times file |
Similarly, a woman surnamed Choi, bought a tent for her two elementary school children.
In her view ― and as the cost of living soars ― there are certain cuts that people cannot make. Heating and air conditioning are such, especially for parents with little kids. But she has had to find ways to cut costs, after she received a gas bill that was unexpectedly high and unavoidable.
"I was not unprepared for this sudden surge in heating costs. The tents had good reviews online. After using them for myself for some time, I don't think it's that bad of a choice, or that I should feel sad about my circumstances. I'm glad my kids love them. They say they feel like they are on a camping trip."
She is finding other ways to save money, mostly through tips from online communities.
"There is news about electricity rates again going up in the months to come. I need to find ways to save any way I can, or I won't be able to pay the bills."
One of them is resetting the hot water temperature to 40 degrees Celsius, down from 60 degrees Celsius, a useful tip she found online.
Boiling the water takes up a lot of energy and setting it to a lower temperature will save heating costs, according to a post shared by online communities.
Using insulating curtains, tapes, films and strips on the windows are among ways shared by many to keep the cold air out.
"My husband's salary has not inched up. There are fixed costs to spend every month. The prices of everything are going up except my husband's income. I think many people feel the same."
Korea imported $56.7 billion (70 trillion won) worth of liquid natural gas (LNG) last year. The all-time-high figure since 1956 was up 84.4 percent from the year before. Gas rates soared 38.4 percent over the past year from 2021. Korea relies on imports to meet over 93 percent of its energy needs.
Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) registered an operating loss of 8.8 trillion won last year, a sharp increase from 1.8 trillion won in 2021.
Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) is believed to have reported a 34 trillion won operating loss last year. It is expected to report an operating loss of 18 trillion won this year.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in December of last year that 2023 will see energy rate increases 1.5 to 1.9 times steeper compared to 2022.
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