Electricity Bill Double the Rent?! Coffee Shop Owner Stunned!

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An Italian Cafe's Silent Protest Against Energy Crisis

Recently, it was reported that a café in Rome, Italy, hung an inflatable doll figure in its glass window. The figure wears a red apron with transparent tape wrapped around its throat and a yellow paper note on its chest reading "The Bill Has Arrived," attracting people's attention. Such a desperate act of performance art represents a "silent protest" from an Italian café amidst the energy crisis.

The café's owner, Laura Lamoni, stated that this action was prompted by the extremely high electricity bills the café has recently faced. She said, "I feel like I'm being hanged. I can't bear all of this. The bills are too expensive, while income is very little. This is how I feel, and this is how merchants like me feel." In June and July of this year, the café's electricity bills totaled approximately 2,600 euros, compared to about 900 euros during the same period last year.

Laura expressed that the bills were overwhelming her. To maintain operations, she had to lay off two employees, raise prices on some items, and apply to pay the bills in installments. Affected by the European energy crisis, energy expenditures for Italian citizens have generally increased. "Fewer customers come to my café because their other expenses have also increased," Laura said.

The Broader European Energy Crisis

In the context of the broader energy crisis, the upcoming autumn and winter seasons add more uncertainty to this café's future. The global energy crisis portends a colder and more difficult winter, especially in Europe. Despite Europe's desperate efforts to implement various measures, including energy conservation, windfall taxes, and restarting coal and nuclear power, they have failed to press pause on this massive energy crisis.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the European energy crisis has intensified, with fossil fuels in short supply, prices soaring, and the electricity market nearly out of control.

Recently, the owner of a café in Crumlin, Dublin, was "horrified" after receiving an electricity bill that was "twice the rent" of the coffee shop. Paul McDonald, owner of Pip's Cafe and Deli, stated that although café business remains busy, the bills have "skyrocketed" to the point of being unsustainable. The café's previous bill of approximately 1,200 euros has risen to nearly 4,000 euros in just six weeks. Another bill is expected within the next few days, leaving the owner deeply concerned.

The Impact on Small Businesses

Over the past few months, cafés have received notifications from multiple suppliers, including energy providers, informing them of price increases, with some costs "rising by more than 50%." The rising costs include almost everything, such as cups, boxes, and tableware. Even coffee beans have been "crazily" increasing in price due to weather and other factors. Due to rising costs, restaurants and cafés cannot pass all costs onto customers, resulting in losses despite being busy.

Owner Paul McDonald told media that they are as busy as ever, but profits have taken a heavy hit. He also stated that it's "impossible" to factor in the rising energy costs into revenue. "This is very unfair. The government needs to intervene and reduce taxes on utilities like water and electricity. Otherwise, small businesses will face a very difficult future and may not even survive."

The Situation Across Europe

In the UK, energy regulator Ofgem announced in early August that from October 1st, the energy price cap for ordinary British households would increase by 80%. This means millions of British people may be unable to pay their gas and electricity bills this winter. Germany will also begin implementing a natural gas surcharge from October 1st.

Energy Price Trend Chart

This might not fully convey the severity of the energy crisis, but you'll deeply understand it when you walk into ice cream shops, cafés, museums, and even the subway, all without air conditioning systems. And this isn't even the worst part. For some less affluent families in the UK this winter, they may face choosing between buying food or buying energy - either starving or freezing.

Energy transition cannot be rushed. It must be based on national conditions and maintain an appropriate pace. Although Europe's determination to transition to green energy is firm, from both supply security and low-carbon perspectives, Europe's energy development still has a long way to go. With the arrival of the European debt crisis, previously affecting smaller economies, now the fire is spreading to Italy, Germany, and even the UK. It's difficult to imagine what will happen next and what immense crisis the world will fall into.

Image source: Internet

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