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sarah101 wrote:

Well after a long time spent organising our move to Malta we now have an actual date for moving.  It just so happens that it will now be in winter rather than summer but hey ho we can't have it all   Just wondering how cold it REALLY gets during December/January so I know what type of clothes to take i.e. as far as fleece jackets/gloves/hats?? (we are only taking over small amounts at a time). 

Also we will be looking for apartments which have both aircon and heating.  Is there anything we should watch out for with regards to this as we have been told that electricity can be very expensive and there are a few landlords out there who like to take the 'p' with overcharging.  We will have a toddler with us so heating the house is imperative.  Is there a way of tracking that we are paying for what we are using and nothing more?

Many thanks and I apologise in advance as im sure i'll be using these forums alot in the coming weeks asking various questions in preparation for our move

Hi Sahra welcome, in December the last year the weather was good and if i can remember the bad weather started the day after Christmas, raining and not good.The bad weather went on till the end of March. I have lived here seven years and i have never known it to be that cold, not so much outside but in, so to be on the safe side i would bring some warm clothes, lets hope you dont need them we will have to wait and see,
     all the best Frank.

It can be colder inside than outside. AC can be expensive to use. Ask the landlord to show you the bills. But it seems that often they keep the deposit in particular when they know you leave the island.
Yes bring jackets, gloves, can be cold sometimes outside. But of course, it's warmer than in Uk for example.

ITS NOT SO MUCH COLD BUT WET DAMP AND HUMID.....the one thing i recommend to everyone for winter is electric blankets - funny you may think - but not so when your beddign and clothes are wet or damp first thing and the bedding feels damp at night - very cheap to run - but you need them not because its cold bit everything including bedding get damp/wet with humidity. there is no central heating here to speak off - its usually portable gas heaters (18/19e per bottle) or expensive electric radiators or of you can afford AC running for heat cooling and dehumidifying then i would suggest that when you are looking for a place to check out the AC units as the inverter type are the most economical.

a good idea is to bring an extra couple of single elec blankets to drape over clothes dryers an use them to keep the damp and humidity at bay overnight on your clothes

sarah101 wrote:

we have been told that electricity can be very expensive and there are a few landlords out there who like to take the 'p' with overcharging.

if you are on the residential tariff its the same as the UK

have just discovered some heaters which are very economical to run and are eco friendly. The initial outlay is fairly expensive but they provide 8kw of a dry heat so one heater can heat the whole house or apartment and stop it feeling damp. They do need installing preferably to an outside wall or close to one. Probably wont't be able to get one if you are renting but if yo uhave your own residence and are here for a long time I think they could be good. Check them out at
Caroline

You just have to know the system, how it works and how the bills are calculated its not hard. Make sure you see the actual two pages of the actual bill not an estimate. Nobody is under an obligation to pay for consumption on an an estimated bill, although you are obliged to pay for the meters. Do your homework, get the residential rates by getting your id cards and residency certificates (if working and initially waiting for res certs to come through then prove your paying tax and SSC by supplying SSC card number and payslips) as without these you are unlikely to be able to get the residential rate....unless the property already has had people in it before and the details havent changed. You may be lucky - i know a few people who have been lucky this way.

but under no circumstances accept a "made up" bill on a spreadsheet...always ask to see the actual bill as this indicates not only the charges - the breakdown of those charges and the number of registered consumers on the property, this makes a big big difference to bills, as each consumer is allowed a specific number of units per year at discounted rates for electricity and water. If you pay the landlord a contribution each month with your rent have it itemised on your rent book,,check your meters initially and then every week till you are sure what you are using, then ask again here give the start and end readings and the period covered and i can calculate it for you or you can go on the ARMs portal website and calculate it yourself. then depending on the outcome adjust it with agreement of the landlord. have fun.

If there is refusal or reluctance to show you the actual bills then be very very suspicious...

pretty sure you wont see any -20"s,or four feet of snow,but you never know.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies. Lots to take in and have already been looking at electric blankets online!

dont think of buying them here....

There is a Swedish website that a girl from Sweden own, she lived on Malta for a while now moved to Spain but she describes the weather in a good way.

Thanks gbgzer for the link, lots of good info