The two managers of the Europe bar in Caen (Calvados) saw their electricity bill go from 338.41 euros to 6,996.64 euros between October and November 2022, an increase of 1,967.6%, reports Liberté Le Bonhomme Free.

That of gas increased from 117 to 847 euros.

This blow put the family business in great difficulty.

However, as of the start of the school year, the establishment had multiplied the energy saving measures by installing solar panels on the roof or replacing the neon lights with LEDs.

The electricity bill had thus been halved between September and October last.

A price per kWk multiplied by 23

Contacted by the distraught managers, TotalEnergies acknowledged that it was an administrative error.

The kWh price jumped because the company thought the merchants' electricity contract had ended, so its expiry date is actually set for the end of December.

It had therefore applied a price excluding subscription: 1.41 euros against six cents.

But the money has already been debited from the bar's bank account.

Despite this explanation and the aid announced by the government, traders are worried about the future.

From January 2023, the price per kWh will increase to 74 cents in the bar.

So they had to take new measures.

The free drinks from the lunch menu have been removed and the Christmas dinner has been cancelled.

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  • Normandy

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