That is the third story in a three-part collection on staying heat this winter. Learn half one: How to beat rising household energy costs and half two: Winter woes for the most vulnerable.
A loud gasoline generator sputters into motion exterior a collection of high-rise house blocks in Kyiv. The streets hum with the sounds of backup energy methods all buzzing to maintain the Ukrainian capital operating.
It’s early February, and the monolithic white and beige constructions, which have been blanketed in darkness, begin to mild up flat by flat because the electrical energy surges by way of the buildings.
On one of many high flooring, accessible by a rickety, claustrophobic raise, reside Viktoria Beliakova, a 35-year-old monetary marketing consultant; her husband, Valentyn Hlyboky, a 38-year-old IT specialist; and their 12-year-old daughter, Vlada.