The OP is asking for ways that their friends can cope with the harsh winter conditions while living in a TC that is not really designed for cold weather . I just want to make a few comments not so much about how cold we think it might be, but how cold it is traditionally in this area which is not as severe as say a similar spot with the same latitude as in Alaska(interior), Yukon or Siberia. Norway, Sweden and Finland's land masses are not that far from large bodies of relatively warm ocean currents. This makes their average winter temperatures much warmer than similar spots in the North American arctic at similat latitude.
Last Feb. we were at a ski event in Vokatti, Finland which is just south of the Arctic circle. It has an average high/low Jan. temp of -7C-13C , the coldest month of the year. It was 0C-+2C the week we were there. Ross River, just picking a name of a small town in the Yukon, is 370 miles south of the Artic Circle with Jan. Average temps(HI/Low) -22C-35C.
Even though the temps could reach -30C if a Siberian front moves in where sabconsultings friends are going to work, this is not a very usual happening because of the moderating effects of the Gulf Stream. I bet even Winterpeg, Manitoba, 1100 miles south of the Artic circle, at a Jan. average of -12C-21C will be colder than where this couple is planning to work in Northern Sweden.
With an uninterupted supply of electricity and a portable garage, They could survive without a disaster. Would I do it, probably not. But with the right planning and resources, it can be done.
Dave
