Ireland schools are told to cut the heat as gas bills are set to rise 60%. Then officials reveal what students are told to do to stay warm.

Schools in Northern Ireland are being told by the Education Authority that the increasing costs of gas and electricity will impact utility bills and that students and they should reduce heating and lighting whenever possible in order to save money.

Chris Quinn, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, learned that one of the suggestions given to students and teachers was to “wear more clothes” to save on heating costs and use natural light during the day instead of turning the lights on. Quinn’s response was that no child should be forced to learn in a cold classroom because of a budget.

Northern Ireland is facing cost increases for utilities

While Quinn says that children shouldn’t have to deal with a problem they didn’t create, schools aren’t the only places facing higher costs. However, schools around the world tend to see frequent cuts, especially in the United States, where Trump tried to get rid of the Department of Education entirely.

The cost of living for households in Northern Ireland has already been increasing. Prices for natural gas from the region’s largest supplier, SSE Airtricity, have gone up about 19% so far. SSE Airtricity attributes the increase to global market volatility and higher wholesale gas prices.

With winter approaching and Ireland seeing colder weather, households will have to absorb higher heating costs, especially those with young children or elderly residents. Schools are in a similar position, with the Education Authority estimating that the cost of school gas bills would go up by 60% by March 2027.

Geopolitical events are driving up gas prices for heating

One of the main causes of the increase in natural gas prices that Northern Ireland is facing is the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, which shows no signs of ending despite Trump’s multiple claims that peace talks were going well over the months.

The Strait of Hormuz is the pathway that normally handles about a fifth of the global oil supply, but Iran has cut access to the strait as a response to attacks from the US, including the bombing of a girls’ school that resulted in heavy casualties. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the added cost to date of fuel due to the Iran War exceeds $100 billion. The estimated added cost for Thanksgiving travel alone exceeds $3 billion.

Now, locations like Northern Ireland are taking a closer look than ever at the energy efficiency of their buildings as it attempts to mitigate the increasing costs as much as possible, but it should perhaps be done through means other than risking children and teachers freezing while in class.

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