Posted by
sandylnl
17 yrs ago
Hi, any advice on how to survive winter in HK? i came fr a country without winter so hv no idea on what to do.
Btw, i am afraid of cold, thinking of getting a heater for the room, any advice on which type/brand to buy? I am confused with fan heater & oil heater, which is beter?
Thanks :)
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"Winter"? I don't mean to mock you but it's not really winter the way I think about it. ;) Things get a bit cooler but if the buildings only had a little insulation there would be no issue. It's not really bad in HK.
Ironically, I have felt colder indoors in HK than in Sweden, the UK or Connecticut. Lack of heating, lack of insulation and high humidity make for a killer combo. Having said that, the temperature rarely goes under 8-10 degrees so it's hardly a problem to deal with if you do the right things.
- Humidity is the big enemy. It makes the perceived temperature lower than it is (and warmer in summer). Dehumidifiers are key.
- Oil heaters are better since they don't dry out the air like fan heaters. However I do have fan heater for my feet under the desk. And a pair of nice wool slippers.
- In the bedroom, there really is no need for heating. We survived in Swedish winter with the window open (=8-10 degrees C in the bedroom) with just a thick duvet. The same works here. You sleep better in the cold as long as the feet and torso are warm.
- Multiple thin layers are better than one thick layer. Wear multiple layers of thin cotton if you feel cold.
- Fortress has decent heaters.
Last important tip:
- Don't OVERdress. If you feel hot or starting to sweat, you have overdressed. You need to take layers off. Adapt coverage continually to shiftin temperatures. Otherwise you may start sweating, leading to problems when you cool down again. Besides, your body likes it best when slightly cool. The rule of thumb for both adults and children (and babies) is that the hands should be cool, not warm. People from warm climates come to Sweden and constantly have colds in the winter because they dress too warmly. This disables the body's innate temperature regulation ability. Just make sure your feet are warm and the rest tends to take care of itself.
People from warm climates are always surprised when I tell them Swedish babies often take their naps OUTSIDE in winter (in temps down to about minus 10 C). They think the red cheeks and cold noses are a bad thing. Truth is, it is very good for the kids and they sleep extremely well out there. Cold is not bad in itself. Or as they put it in the Swedish Army: "There is no bad weather, only bad dressing."
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II've been here for 5 years, not as long as some, but longer than many. I suggest, if it's a cold winter (like last winter), bring lots of sweaters and jackets. Buy a few (fan) heaters for your rooms (as Cara said) but make sure they have a therostat so they don't overheat. Buy a down quilt for your bed. The 'cold' weater isn't usually below 12-14C, but last winter (in my opinion) was colder. The cold weather usually lasts from December to March or so, but considering there's no centralized heating and most of the buildings are concrete, you need to do something to keep yourself warm in these months.
I don't think the summers are so bad, but I like humidity.
Bring or buy sweaters! Get a fan heater!
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cd
17 yrs ago
Oil filled plug in heaters are best, you can go out and leave these on.
Buy a very thick duvet. Have only worn a coat once in Hk, usually a fleece and a scarf in enough.
It oten gets into single figures at night out of town, I've known it to get as low as 3 degrees at night out our way. But generally its warmer outside than in. We just watch TV snuggled under a blanket.
Winter normally only lasts about 6 weeks, but agree last year it seemed to go on forever.
Definately keep a dehumidifier running, the mould and damp is a neverending battle that time of year.
But if you're thinking northern Europe type winters it doesn't get like that.
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The Chinese believe that it gets cold after Lunar New Year, without fail.
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Winters in Hong Kong are usually quite mild, however unlike colder climate countries, Hong Kong is not set up for the cold.
Last winter was very cold compared to some of the previous years, as far as heating goes the options in HK are quite basic.
Fan Heaters are good for personnel heating, you really need to have it blowing at you. The down side is the cost to run at up to 2400 watts they consume the same as 40 normal light globes.
Oil heaters are much better and generally cheaper to run, however they take a while to warm up, a problem when you arrive home late.
Electric Blankets are cheap to run (about 60 watts) and lets face it, there’s nothing better than jumping in to warm bed after a long day.
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When winter comes we crank up our two oil heaters and never turn them off. We turn them down when we go to bed then turn them back up during the day so our apartment is always warm.
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I’m glad you’re doing your bit for the environment, over a six week season that’s equivalent to running 25,000 standard light globes for an hour. Have you thought about using a plug in timer?
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"Oil heaters are much better and generally cheaper to run, however they take a while to warm up, a problem when you arrive home late."
An option here is a simple plug timer.
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Haha! Surviving winter? Winter lasts for only 2 weeks - I'm sure you'll survive. We have oil heaters that we put into each room in our house. It's very, very expensive to keep them running (more than air-con). I'm sure you'll be fine.
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An important point here is that since the buildings have little or no insulation, heat goes right out. If buildings are built like in Sweden or Canada, keeping heating on all the time makes a lot of sense. The heat is retained inside and very low energy needs to be used in order to keep the temperature constantly decent. Even if you turn the heat off, it takes a very long time for the heat to leech out.
In HK as soon as turn off the radiator it gets instantly cold. So there there's really no point keeping the heat on when you are not in the room. You're just venting heat outdoors, not "investing" in future heat when you will be in the room.
That's why, as namaste says, it is so costly to keep heaters running all the time. Ironically, in Sweden or Canada, where winters are much much colder, heating costs are lower since houses are built "properly". Even more ironically, if buildings were built for cold weather they would also be much cheaper to cool in the summer. Insulation doesn't care whether the heat is outside or inside. An example of good insulation are century old stone houses in Southern Italy. There is no air conditioning, but even on very hot summer days they remain cool inside because the stone walls act as a thermal sink, absorbing the heat.
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sandylnl I feel your pain. Love the summer and the weather right now, but thinking ahead to November/December with trepidation...
Lack of insulation is indeed a major problem. The above advice is pretty good - space heaters, extra blankets, and layer up - and persevere until March or April.
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honestly people, how can one even call Jan-Feb in HK "winter" - it is really just a bit of a cool period, it is not winter, you have nothing to worry about but humidity as axptguy mentioned - get yourself dehumidifier and a few jumpers.
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"get yourself dehumidifier and a few jumpers."
And a pair of nice warm slippers.
"i've been here 13 years and HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the summers! i SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO look forward to the winter!"
I don't mind the summer that much but I do look forward to the mild weather of "fall" and "winter".
One thing that amazes me is how my wife and I have given advice on "surviving" the "cold" to so many natives and they just look at us as if we are crazy. As if we don't know how to handle cold!
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I think it is much easier to warm up then cool down, when its hot its distinctly uncomfortable especially when you are sweating.
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"An important point here is that since the buildings have little or no insulation, heat goes right out. If buildings are built like in Sweden or Canada, keeping heating on all the time makes a lot of sense. The heat is retained inside and very low energy needs to be used in order to keep the temperature constantly decent. Even if you turn the heat off, it takes a very long time for the heat to leech out."
You must remember that winter is short in HK. HK has a hot humid climate most of the year. In such climate, one needs to have well ventilated buildings. That is in contrast with well insulated buildings in cold climates.
In countries with hot climates, the building regualtions specify a minimum ventilation rule, while in clod climates such as Sweden, they have maximum ventilation regs. Example: in South Africa, every habitable room must have at least an area of 5% of the floor area that is openable, for ventilation. While in the UK, you may not exceed 5% of floor area for ventilation.
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Good point ebow3d. But I still feel that with the air conditioning here, good insulation combined with good and variable ventilation would be a good thing. If buildings relied on natural ventilation for cooling it would be different.
Thermal windows would be perfect for instance. I wonder how much heat comes in through our windows in summer. That's just pointless extra work (=money down the drain) for the A/C.
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i think spotlight is selling thermal curtains
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"I think if you are asian, eat plenty of very hot steamed rice during winter."
Why would this be for Asians only?
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Wow! I didnt expect to rec so manyyyyyyyyy feedbacks!
Thanks!!
I believe i can survive through this not-so-long winter now :)
Cant wait for it to come, my first 'winter'.
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I am fr Singapore,a country without 4 seasons...so i cant wait to experience this 'not-too-cold' winter but definitely 'cold enough' for me :0)
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"That is in contrast with well insulated buildings in cold climates."
Insulation works in both hot and cold climates. Well insulated building have less heat transfer from outside thereby keeping buildings cooler inside. You'd be surprised what difference a cavity wall and double glazing would do in the summers here.
In countries with hot climates, the building regualtions specify a minimum ventilation rule, while in clod climates such as Sweden, they have maximum ventilation regs. Example: in South Africa, every habitable room must have at least an area of 5% of the floor area that is openable, for ventilation. While in the UK, you may not exceed 5% of floor area for ventilation.
Sorry there are no rules even close to that in the UK. Due to the difference in climate between the north and south of the country a blanket rules would not work. Looking through the new building regs there is no mention of such a restriction.
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Coming from Canada as well the winters are more like spring or fall seasons but we have found it is just the dampness that kills you indoors do to lack of insulation. As all have posted, purchase a couple of oil heaters now in the classified inexpensively and do buy some timers as noted by others from Ikea to you'll be fine. Coming from Sing the land of no seasons but hot and humid, you might enjoy the seasonal changes in HK and find the cool air refreshing. Buy oil heaters with fans as well if you wish to distribute heat initially quicker.
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"I am fr Singapore,a country without 4 seasons...so i cant wait to experience this 'not-too-cold' winter but definitely 'cold enough' for me :0)"
Hehe. Well one thing I have observed is that winter is very much an attitude thing. If you think positive and take the right steps it's not a bad season, even outdoors with freezing winds and -20 degrees. If you just think about how dislike it, it will feel colder.
So here's hoping you see it as a "refreshing" experience.
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190k
17 yrs ago
Try putting down carpets and putting up curtains one the windows that help a bit with the insulation. Close door to rooms that you don't use and install insulating foam in the door gaps. You can buy the foam at most hardware shops and it comes with adhesive tape already on it. You can also get plastic strips that stick on the bottom of doors to stop the draft. If you live in a house you can get solar water heaters. you can rig these up to a radiator system and thermal heat retainers (barrels of hot water) inside the house to keep the house warm after the sun has gone down.
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"Try putting down carpets and putting up curtains one the windows that help a bit with the insulation. Close door to rooms that you don't use and install insulating foam in the door gaps."
Good tips. However don't forget to ventilate propertly at least once a day. Open the windows wide. Otherwise the air will be all stuffy and gross if you have good insulation.
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sxc
17 yrs ago
Hot Water Bottles are great for keeping the bed warm as well.
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All the designer stores actually carry their winter lines in HK. Don't be fooled into buying as winter will be through by the time your credit card bill comes in the mail!
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