Khrystyna Mahas says the barracks are warm and comfortable.
Khrystyna Mahas from Ukraine moved to Skellefteå three months ago. Now she works at Northvolt and lives in the barracks area in Solbacken. Today she is on her way to the city center and waits outside the barracks for the bus.
– Where I come from, it's usually below freezing for a week in winter. Right now it is above freezing, so I was a little shocked by this weather, but you get used to it quickly, and now I like it. I love snow, she says.
Keeping warm in the barracks is not a problem, she says.
– I was a little worried that it would be cold, but it's not. It's comfortable and warm, sometimes a little too warm for me.
Several people are queuing for the bus from the barracks area into town. They're bundled up for the cold, but they insist it's warm inside the barracks.
This is thanks to many smart solutions included when the modules were built, says operations manager Jimmy Södergren of Away Group, which operates the facility.
– Everything from heat pumps to good heat recovery and insulation keeps the residents warm. We thought it through very clearly when we built them.
Jimmy Södergren says that many smart ways are used to keep the barracks warm.
– The heat pumps don't work well when the temperature drops to minus 30 degrees, he says.
–That's when heat recovery becomes important. The modules are actually several units that are built together, and we insulate between those units.
– The people who live there are happy, he adds.