Schoolchildren in French town to wear coats in class as Europe tackles energy crisis

PARIS

A French town has decided to distribute winter jackets to schoolchildren as there will be less heating in schools, local media reported.

Gabriel Daube, the mayor of Periers in Normandy, said public buildings will not be heated above 19 degrees Celsius (around 66.2 degrees Fahrenheit) as part of energy-saving measures.

“This is one of the measures that complements a whole series of measures to reduce the energy bill of the municipality,” he told radio station France Bleue.

The mayor put the cost of jackets at nearly €6,000 ($5,860) for a total of 350 students. But the investment would pay off, Daube continued, as he had set the goal of saving a total of 10% of energy costs, which would correspond to approximately €20,000 ($19,520).

According to the mayor, the heaters at public buildings will be regulated to 19C. In addition, public lighting is to be completely switched off at 11 p.m.

France, like the rest of Europe, is facing an energy crisis with inflated prices of electricity, gas, and fuel, exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war.

The majority of the households, businesses, and municipal authorities in France have joined the “energy sobriety” measures and decided to turn off lights close to midnight in stores and public buildings and reduce indoor heating.

PARIS

A French town has decided to distribute winter jackets to schoolchildren as there will be less heating in schools, local media reported.

Gabriel Daube, the mayor of Periers in Normandy, said public buildings will not be heated above 19 degrees Celsius (around 66.2 degrees Fahrenheit) as part of energy-saving measures.

“This is one of the measures that complements a whole series of measures to reduce the energy bill of the municipality,” he told radio station France Bleue.

According to the mayor, the heaters at public buildings will be regulated to 19C. In addition, public lighting is to be completely switched off at 11 p.m.

France, like the rest of Europe, is facing an energy crisis with inflated prices of electricity, gas, and fuel, exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war.