Life at -30°C without radiators: how traditional heating systems are becoming relevant again

The author of this text is Yangang Xin, an associate professor at the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Nottingham Trent University. He grew up in Harbin, China, the world's largest city where winter temperatures consistently drop to -30°C, and where central heating in the modern sense has been absent for decades. His childhood experience of living in extreme cold later turned into a professional interest: today he researches how architecture and domestic solutions affect energy efficiency and human comfort.This is not a story about nostalgia or the exoticism of East Asia. This is a conversation aboutanother way of thinking that may be useful for Ukrainians in the conditions of war and a cold winter. The original article was published by The Conversation, LIGA.net retells the most interesting parts."I grew up in the coldest city in the world without central heating" – the world has something to learn from it.The author of the text grew up in Harbin, a city where the winter air is so cold that even eyelashes freeze. It was there, in northeastern China, that he, in his own words, woke up in the morning not in a warm room, but "on a bed of warm earth."Harbin is one of the coldest major cities on the planet. In winter, temperatures regularly drop to -30°C, and in January, even on the warmest days, they rarely rise above -10°C. With a population of over 6 million, it is the largest city in the world that constantly lives in such climatic conditions.In such conditions, the author emphasizes, the issue of heat "is not an abstract topic, but a daily necessity." Long before the advent of centralized heating, electrical systems, and gas boilers, residents of the region endured winters using fundamentally different approaches to heating — much more localized, economical, and more closely related to the human body.Today, working as a researcher of architecture and construction in the UK, he increasingly reflects on the fact that "in a world where energy is becoming more expensive and winters are becoming less predictable due to climate change, these old solutions are once again relevant."Traditional Chinese medicineThe author's earliest winter memories are associated with the kang, a traditional heated platform bed made of earthen bricks, which has been used in northern China for at least 2,000 years.The kan, the author explains, is "not furniture, but part of the building." The thick, raised platform is connected to the kitchen stove. When the fire is lit for cooking, hot air passes through channels under the platform, gradually heating its entire mass.To a child, it seemed like a miracle: "a warm surface that stayed hot all night." Now, from a professional perspective, the author admits to understanding "how clever an engineering solution it is."Unlike central heating, which heats the air in all rooms, the kan only heats the place where a person is. The room could remain cold, but people would warm themselves by sitting or lying on the platform under thick blankets. Hundreds of kilograms of compacted earth would slowly release heat for many hours.In this system, the author emphasizes, "there were no radiators, pumps, or heating of empty rooms." In addition, a significant portion of the heat came from the fire, which was needed for cooking anyway. This reduced fuel costs without sacrificing comfort.Maintaining the canal was a family affair. The author's father, a teacher of Chinese literature, not an engineer, had mastered the technique of its construction. His mother skillfully laid layers of coal so that the fire would smolder throughout the night.Looking back, the author realizes "how much skill, labor, and responsibility such a system demanded." It required proper ventilation to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Chinese families, he writes, "literally entrusted their lives to it."Despite all its shortcomings, the can provided something that modern heating systems often lack: stable, long-lasting heat with minimal energy consumption.East Asia: Warming the Space Around ItselfSimilar principles, the author notes, also shaped other traditional heating systems in East Asia. They are united by a simple logic: "not to heat the entire room, but to create heat where a person is."In Korea, the ondol system directs warm air under thick floors, turning them into a continuous heated surface. In Japan, the kotatsu appeared — a low table with a blanket and a heater underneath, which warms the legs. Similar solutions exist in Iran and Afghanistan — the korsi.Clothing also played an important role. The author recalls how every winter his mother would sew him a new thick padded coat, filling it with freshly fluffed cotton. The concern for warmth, he emphasizes, "started with the body, not with the thermostat."Europe once knew the secrets of traditional heating, then abandoned them.Europe, the author notes, once had heating approaches similar to those in Asia. Ancient Rome used hypocausts – systems for circulating hot air under the floor. In medieval houses, heavy tapestries were hung, enclosed sleeping areas were used, and soft fabrics and local heat sources were employed.In the 20th century, these approaches were replaced by central heating – a model in which the entire building is heated to the same temperature regardless of how many people are in it. When energy was cheap, this worked, even despite the poor thermal insulation of most European buildings.Today, the situation has changed. Energy is expensive again, and tens of millions of Europeans cannot maintain a comfortable temperature in their homes. New technologies—heat pumps, renewable energy—have potential, but they are only effective when buildings are already well-designed and insulated.What traditional systems teachThe history of the canal and similar systems, the author concludes, shows that comfort "does not mean more energy consumption." It often arises from a different design approach, where heat is not generated everywhere, but mostly where it is really needed.In a world that is looking for sustainable and affordable solutions for living in the face of climate instability, these old ideas, the author is convinced, "deserve attention again."Read alsoHow to create a warm atmosphere at home during blackouts: tips from an interior designer

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