LETTER FROM MALMO
On the island of Fjärdlång in the Stockholm archipelago in 2014. TOMMIE HANSEN / WIKIMEDIA
Since the onset of autumn, the streets of residential areas in southern Sweden have looked particularly dark. Every day the sun sets earlier: around 18:15 on 12 October in Malmö. Night falls at 4.30pm at the end of the month, but while Swedes usually fight the darkness by turning on lights in almost every room of the house, decorating gardens and balconies with garlands of lights, many seem to have given up this year.
At least, that’s the impression one gets from strolling the streets after dark. Those who have already visited the country, as well as fans of Swedish TV series, will be able to confirm it: at dusk, the windows, which are rarely equipped with shutters, offer a breathtaking view of the cozy interiors, which seem to be straight from the Ikea catalogue .
As autumn approaches, interior design magazines are full of advice on how to create the most mystical atmosphere possible – a term reminiscent of Danish ‘hygge’, which Larousse defined as ‘a feeling of well-being and serenity characteristic of Danish art “Living is defined, based on the authentic pleasures of everyday life, the moments shared with loved ones, the cozy comfort of one’s own interior”.
An essential element of this Scandinavian way of life: lighting. The candles, of course, but also the lamps, carefully placed in every corner of the rooms to obtain a cozy lighting: the Mysbelysning. Some lights stay on day and night even when nobody is around or everyone is asleep. “Still, it’s much more mysterious to go into a lighted house when it’s dark and cold outside in winter,” a Swedish friend confided to me. Suffice it to say that little Swedes are rarely encouraged to switch off behind them.
A rising electric bill
This practice can be explained by the traditionally low electricity prices in a country where hydropower accounts for almost half of production, while fossil fuels have been virtually eradicated, including for heating. Even if the plaid is one of the indispensable accessories of a winter decoration, the indoor temperatures in Swedish houses and apartments generally exceed 20 °C.
But this year it’s expensive, especially if you live in the south of the country, in zone 4 – since 2011 the kingdom has been divided into four zones with different prices: a measure taken to encourage electricians to increase production in the South sorely lacking compared to the North. A waste of time: While capacities in the north have grown with the construction of huge wind farms, they have fallen in the south after several nuclear reactors were shut down. However, due to a lack of investment in the grid, there are bottlenecks between north and south at peak times, so that only electricity has to be imported.
You still have 49.41% of this article to read. The following is for subscribers only.