Seoul City to Support Excess Electricity Charges for Community Child Centers from July to September

Preparation and Distribution of Summer Facility Operation Manual
Guidelines for Workers and Users to Cope with Heatwaves... Indoor Temperature Checks and Food Poisoning Prevention Measures

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is stepping up support to ensure that children using local children's centers can live comfortably and healthily during this summer's heatwave. Considering the early onset of intense heatwaves and rising prices such as electricity bills, if cooling costs from July to September exceed the existing support amount, the excess will be covered by city funds. The usage period and operational status of air conditioners will also be thoroughly inspected, and outdated air conditioners will be replaced.

On the 11th, Seoul announced that it has prepared a facility operation manual for local children's centers to prepare for heatwaves and distributed it to all facilities within Seoul.

First, unified standards for indoor temperature and air conditioner operation at local children's centers have been established to ensure that all children using these centers can enjoy a comfortable environment. There are 426 local children's centers in Seoul, serving 12,569 children, making it the largest after-school childcare facility in the city. Due to the earlier and stronger heatwave than usual and rising electricity and other prices, the burden of operating facilities during the summer has increased, so operation standards were established to prevent deterioration of the living environment for children using the facilities.

To maintain a comfortable indoor environment, the appropriate indoor temperature is set at 26°C, and the proper humidity is maintained between 40-60%. Air conditioners must be operated not only during regular facility hours but also whenever at least one child is indoors outside of those hours. The indoor temperature of 26°C is based on the minimum cooling temperature under the Energy Use Rationalization Act, and flexible application is allowed temporarily depending on the facility size, number of users, and other environmental conditions.

The manual also provides behavioral guidelines for staff and users to prepare for heatwaves. Facility staff must operate air conditioners according to the operation standards and check the indoor temperature every four hours. To maintain children's health during heatwaves, outdoor physical activities should be avoided as much as possible between 2 PM and 4 PM, and food and cooking utensils must be managed carefully during meals to prevent food poisoning incidents.

If cooling costs exceed the previously supported amount as a result of operating the facility according to the manual's standards, the city will provide additional support for the excess amount up to 300,000 KRW. This will be calculated based on electricity bills incurred from July to September, and the shortfall will be supported in October. If the total support from Seoul and other organizations such as the Community Chest of Korea amounts to 1.2 million KRW, and electricity bills from July to September exceed this, the shortfall will be additionally supported.

Along with cooling cost support, a full survey of air conditioner usage periods and operational status at local children's centers will be conducted, and replacement of outdated air conditioners will be supported. Considering that most local children's centers are privately operated, air conditioner replacement will be promoted in the form of rental fee support.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Policy Office, said, “Since Seoul prioritizes walking together with the vulnerable, we will continue to communicate regularly to ensure there are no difficulties on the ground and that children can live in a healthy environment.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.