People lived in the north without electricity but they've NEVER lived in the north without fire. And there aren't enough trees in the north. Iceland (for instance) cut all of theirs down for heating and other uses. Similar to the British Isles. They turned to burning peat and coal to stay warm (etc). Others have mentioned whale blubber.
Unless you live near a hot springs, electricity is actually the best we've got for staying warm in the north with the least carbon emissions. Nuclear, wind, hydro, or geothermal are all valid options for producing this electricity in the North. Probably in combination and probably with some storage (batteries plus occasional hydrogen?) and heatpumps to increase the efficiency. So in fact, USE electricity.
In the Global South, solar reigns supreme as far as the least expensive energy source.
Unless you live near a hot springs, electricity is actually the best we've got for staying warm in the north with the least carbon emissions. Nuclear, wind, hydro, or geothermal are all valid options for producing this electricity in the North. Probably in combination and probably with some storage (batteries plus occasional hydrogen?) and heatpumps to increase the efficiency. So in fact, USE electricity.
In the Global South, solar reigns supreme as far as the least expensive energy source.