A house in the mountains: heating and winter living

Winter in the mountains is different

In Dilijan, Tsaghkadzor, around Sevan and in mountain villages, winter is longer and colder than in Yerevan, and snow can lie for weeks. A house that is comfortable in July can be cold and expensive to run in January. So judge it first and foremost as a winter home. Many problems of a mountain house are visible in advance: damp and mould in the corners, walls that freeze through, gaps around windows. If you can, view the house in the cold season.

Heating options

For reference: in 2026 household electricity costs 44.98 AMD per kWh by day and 34.98 AMD at night, and 29.99 and 19.99 AMD for socially vulnerable families (PSRC decision, as of 30 December 2025). The cheaper night rate favours systems that store heat overnight. The PSRC left household gas tariffs unchanged in 2026; check the exact price for your address with the supplier.

Solar panels

A private house in Armenia can become an autonomous electricity producer: under net metering you can install a plant of up to 150 kW for your own needs and export the surplus to the grid. Such plants are popular: according to the trade publication pv magazine, the country already has more than 50,000 autonomous producers, and the number of household plants grew by 60% in 2025.

For a mountain house this is a good way to cut bills but not the only source of heat: winter days are short and panels under snow produce nothing. Treat a solar plant as a supplement to your main heating. Before installing, ask the network company how to connect the plant to the grid and which meter you need, and ask the installer how much energy the panels will produce in winter on your particular slope.

Insulation first

Any heating system is wasted if the heat escapes through gaps. Before choosing a boiler, look at the house itself. Money spent on insulating the roof and windows often pays back faster than a new boiler.

• The roof and attic are among the main places heat is lost.
• Windows: old frames are best replaced or well sealed.
• Walls and floor: external insulation and underfloor heating on the ground floor.
• An entrance porch is a simple way to keep out draughts and snow.

Winter living: a checklist

• Who clears the road to the village and to your plot, and how quickly.
• How the pipes are protected from freezing: insulation, heating cable, a way to drain the water.
• A stock of firewood or fuel for the whole winter and a dry place to keep it.
• Connection capacity: will it cope with heaters during a cold snap?
• Mobile signal and internet in the house in winter.
• The nearest pharmacy, shop and hospital, and the road to them in snow.

Buy firewood only from legal sellers: unauthorised logging is prohibited. And ask the seller for last winter's bills; they will show more honestly than any promise what it costs to heat the house.

How would you heat a house in the mountains? Gas boilerWood stoveHeat pumpA combination of several options

Key takeaways

• Judge a mountain house as a winter home: snow, roads, pipes, heating.
• Insulate first, then choose a boiler or stove.
• Solar panels cut bills but do not replace your main heating.
• Keep a backup heat source in case the power goes out.