Could I endure a frigid Canberra winter? Not in my wildest, electric dreams | Brigid Delaney

Brigid Delaney writes about her experience surviving a cold Canberra winter. She recalls being electrocuted by an electric blanket as a child. She notes that Australians still rely on old heating methods like hot water bottles. Many houses in Canberra are poorly designed for cold weather. People use layering, thermal underwear, and special curtains to stay warm. She finds it strange that technology has advanced so much but home heating has not.

Canberra is Australia's capital city located in the Australian Capital Territory. It sits at a high altitude and gets very cold in winter. Many Australian homes are not built to handle cold temperatures well. Unlike Europe or North America, Australia never developed strong insulation standards. This means families spend a lot on heating or just bundle up. The article is a personal reflection on how we cope with the cold.

Housing quality affects people's health and comfort every winter. Poorly designed homes can be expensive to heat and hard to live in.