Riga Again Spends Millions on House Heating While Liepāja Gets By with Trams

The Ministry of Economics has announced that at the end of March, a grandiose exhibition 'House I 2026' will take place in Riga, where for four days people will explain how to properly heat houses and save energy. The exhibition will feature a whole crowd of experts from various ministries, funds and associations — so many that they could immediately heat half of Riga.

As always, such events take place in the capital, because apparently people there don't know what warmth is. We Liepāja residents aren't particularly worried — we've long had the most energy-efficient transport vehicle in all of Latvia. While Riga residents ponder how to live warmer, we simply hop on the tram and ride! And not in some electric car that consumes expensive electricity, but in a real, old, good tram that has proven its efficiency for years.

'Well, what's so complicated about that,' comments local apartment owner Maija from South Riga. 'In winter, put on a warm jacket, in summer — take it off. And if you want to warm up, take the tram to Karosta and back. No funds or ministries needed!'

Meanwhile, the exhibition plans to discuss 'European initiatives for promoting affordable housing.' In Liepāja we call such initiatives 'houses by the sea for the price of a Riga apartment.' But Riga residents, of course, know nothing about that — they think the sea is only where you can drive by car.