LBad news keeps coming for athletes. After the closings of municipal swimming pools, sports halls are in turn hit by rising energy prices and are considering raising the price of their subscriptions, reports Le Figaro. These consume a lot of energy through their machines, the lighting of the premises, the heating or air conditioning but also the hot water tanks for the showers. Not to mention the rents and payroll.
“For a hall, gas and electricity expenses generally represent 5 to 7% of the annual operating price”, explains Virgile Caillet, general delegate of the Union Sport & cycle. The managing director of the Fitness Park group, Gaëtan Dubuisson, agrees: “For us, energy represents between 3% and 4% of turnover. This bill, already quite large for sports halls, continues to increase. This new episode comes after two years of difficulty with the Covid-19 pandemic, which had already weakened these infrastructures.
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In addition to the rise in the price of subscriptions, sports halls are also betting on energy savings to reduce their bills. “We had no doubt that the increase would be drastic,” KenGroup President Arthur Benzaquen told Figaro. “We especially wanted to reduce consumption and invite our members to find a virtue in it. Among the measures taken to reduce consumption, the group has already installed cardio machines that generate their energy using the strength of athletes. The rooms are also limiting the towels they provide and lowering the temperature of the pools. Some managers have even decided to install hourglasses in the showers, to encourage users not to spend too much time there.