At least one kindergarten in the United Kingdom has told children to wear more clothes to keep warm, as the business itself cannot afford to keep the heating on constantly.
A kindergarten in the United Kingdom has told children to wear more clothes to stay warm due to the fact that it reportedly cannot afford to heat its premises for the entire day.
With the price of energy surging both in Britain and the European Union, small businesses are now reportedly struggling to sign new contracts with their energy suppliers, with firms demanding up to £10,000 (~$12,000) upfront as insurance in case they go out of business due to the ever-inflating costs of operations.
According to a report by state-owned broadcaster the BBC, DaisyChain nursery in the south of England is telling both its children and staff to wrap up more during the winter months, with the kindergarten’s owner, Lee-Anne Lovegrove, saying that she will not be able to afford to keep the heating on.
“We can’t afford to have the heating on all day because it will ruin us,” Lovegrove told the news agency. “We have 12 members of staff here and I’ve asked them to ensure they wear more layers when they come to work because we won’t be able to have the heating on from 8 o’clock to 6 o’clock every day because financially it’s going to ruin us.”
Instead, the building would intermittently turn the building’s heating on and off to ensure the temperature remains around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), as opposed to the usual 21-22 degrees (~70-72 degrees Fahrenheit).
While it is unclear whether or not any other childcare facilities in Britain will be giving the children in their care similar instructions, what is certain is that businesses across the country are now seriously struggling with the price of energy, something that has spiralled in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
To make matters worse, many energy companies will reportedly not even agree to provide many small enterprises with energy contracts at all unless they pay an upfront fee, with firms reportedly fearing that such businesses could go under in the face of dire economic conditions.
As a result, The Guardian is reporting that providers such as SSE, Scottish Power, E.On Next, Drax, and Ecotricity are all now looking for downpayments of up to £10,000 (~$12,000) from businesses that are looking to sign a new contract, something that many small enterprises simply cannot afford.
Meanwhile, other suppliers have reportedly refused to take on new business customers entirely, seemingly in the belief that many will not survive the duration of any energy agreement signed.
One spokesman for energy company E.ON reportedly told The Guardian that the company was no longer taking on new clients in the context of market instability.
“Like many other business energy suppliers, at certain highly volatile points we’ve had to pause offering contracts to new customers so we can focus on supporting existing customers through this challenging time while monitoring and responding to market risks,” the spokesman reportedly said.
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