Kurre Westerlund, a known artist in Finland, experienced a shocking revelation when he received his January electricity bill, totaling a staggering 1,600 euros. This bill set a new record for him, and he described the financial burden as 'taking a huge toll on me.' Living in a three-story detached house in Helsinki, Westerlund noted that the recent extreme cold necessitated increased heating to ensure comfort in his home, insisting on maintaining a minimum indoor temperature of 22 degrees Celsius due to his sensitivity to cold.

Westerlund added that although he is not usually knowledgeable about his home's heating system, the significant costs triggered a new commitment to understand and adjust the settings to manage his electricity consumption better. He remarked that the results of any adjustments take time to stabilize throughout the house, indicating a learning curve in managing the heating effectively.

Fortunately, Westerlund has also implemented geothermal heating in his home during its construction, which has helped mitigate what could have been an even higher electricity bill. He reflected on this aspect with a sense of gratitude, expressing dread over how much the bill could have escalated without the backup of geothermal energy, highlighting the growing financial pressures many are experiencing amid energy price increases due to external factors such as climate conditions and market fluctuations.