Whether it’s selfish colleagues hogging the office air con, or offspring whacking up the heating in their parents’ homes, there are few things more likely to spark animosity across UK homes and workplaces than a good old “thermo-spat”. And it happens at university too, as Komal Ahmad discovered during her first winter studying at the University of Hull.
Ahmad hails from Karachi, Pakistan, a city on the Arabian Sea where temperatures regularly nudge 40C. Yorkshire’s Kingston upon Hull, on the other hand, is a port city with bracing North Sea winds. Unsurprisingly, Ahmad struggled to adapt to the chilly climate. Despite this, one housemate would turn down the central heating, leaving her shivering.
