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lilac_dragon
15-11-2012, 09:27 AM
Morning everyone.
Can anyone help me out with the minimum temperature for our childminding rooms please.
I'm closing for a day later this month due to a planned power cut for this area for maintenance work on the power lines, so no heat, light, hot drinks or food.
There'll be no power from 9am- to at least 4pm, possibly later.

I'm going to see if I can claim loss of earnings from the power company, citing minimum room temperature etc

Thanks

hectors house
15-11-2012, 09:36 AM
My heating is rarely on during the day unless it is really cold outside - if the children say they are cold, I just find a jumper in their bag. Don't think I would shut, would try to go out to toddlers or soft play and do sandwiches or soup from a flask for lunch - I suppose my house would be a bit dark today without the lights on though as overcast and big foggy here - but could have just risk assessed and lit lots of candles for Diwali!

lynnfi
15-11-2012, 10:02 AM
Has to be around 19 degrees.:)

bunyip
15-11-2012, 10:12 AM
If you're gonna claim, then I'd do it on the whole package together: heating, lighting, and cooking. If the weather is murky, then it'd be getting a bit dull indoors here by 4pm and they might cut you off for longer if the work overruns (possibly a bit later for you - Norfolk being nearer to the Equator :D )

Assuming this isn't a WIT, then it's an interesting social comment on how things have changed. A lot of us should congratulate ourselves on surviving the 1970's when the average living room temperature was around 12C, power cuts and coal shortages were a fact of life, and no-one dreaming of claiming or sueing anyone for anything less than severe drug-related birth defects. Many of us lived with only one main room heated and taking a bath in the kitchen when the oven was on to leak a little additional warmth into the room. We put our coats on the bed for extra night-time insulation and had to wear coats and gloves at school a couple of times when there was no oil delivery for the boiler. :cold: I guess we must've evolved special lungs to filter the carbon monoxide escaping from the paraffin stove which mum burned in the toilet to stop the pipes freezing. :p

Makes me laugh to see EYFS and Every Child Matters going on about the "resilience" of children. :rolleyes:

Mind you, it wasn't all bad. At least we had Curly-Wurlys. :D

AliceK
15-11-2012, 10:49 AM
Depending on the ages (activity levels) of the children it should be between 18 - 21 degrees.

xxxx

rickysmiths
15-11-2012, 10:58 AM
Has to be around 19 degrees.:)

Who and where does it say that!!!

My home is usually about 18 degrees.

In the autumn /winter /Spring I expect the parents to provide the children with a fleece or jumper that can be warn indoors, they can not expect to wear short sleeved tee shirts all year round. Though I do have one at the moment who wore a thick wool out fit in the summer and has come in a thin summer dress recently :rolleyes:

rickysmiths
15-11-2012, 11:01 AM
Depending on the ages (activity levels) of the children it should be between 18 - 21 degrees.

xxxx

Obviously that is ideal but it never hurt me as a baby of the fifties and a prem baby at that, being cared for in a flat that had a coal fire in the living room that was only lit in the evenings and now heating at all in my bedroom! Back then homes were less well insulated and had single glazing, god forbid!

lilac_dragon
15-11-2012, 11:13 AM
If you're gonna claim, then I'd do it on the whole package together: heating, lighting, and cooking. If the weather is murky, then it'd be getting a bit dull indoors here by 4pm and they might cut you off for longer if the work overruns (possibly a bit later for you - Norfolk being nearer to the Equator :D )

Assuming this isn't a WIT, then it's an interesting social comment on how things have changed. A lot of us should congratulate ourselves on surviving the 1970's when the average living room temperature was around 12C, power cuts and coal shortages were a fact of life, and no-one dreaming of claiming or sueing anyone for anything less than severe drug-related birth defects. Many of us lived with only one main room heated and taking a bath in the kitchen when the oven was on to leak a little additional warmth into the room. We put our coats on the bed for extra night-time insulation and had to wear coats and gloves at school a couple of times when there was no oil delivery for the boiler. :cold: I guess we must've evolved special lungs to filter the carbon monoxide escaping from the paraffin stove which mum burned in the toilet to stop the pipes freezing. :p

Makes me laugh to see EYFS and Every Child Matters going on about the "resilience" of children. :rolleyes:

Mind you, it wasn't all bad. At least we had Curly-Wurlys. :D

Oh Bunyip how I laughed to read this - my childhood in a nutshell!!!!
My son was born in 1972 in one of the planned power cuts - he was born at 2am during a Midnight to 4am cut, by candlelight as the Maternity Home had no backup generator, delivered by a red haired Irish Nun who swore like a trooper and then said "God forgive me" after each swear word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it was just me and mine at home I'd not worry, that's what jumpers hats and gloves are for.


Thanks everyone for the info.
Small village, no childrens groups on Tuesday, and I have to be in the house all day anyway as they need to access the electric meter upstairs, whenever it's my turn.
Baby's only 10 months, just crawling so not that mobile to keep warm. 2 yr olds would do better.
If baby's asleep upstairs and they need to work on the meter it's on the landing so I'd have to get him up if he was asleep when they need to work on it.
Nowhere downstairs for him to sleep.
No landline on the day and no mobile signal here, so also a worry.

rickysmiths
15-11-2012, 11:25 AM
Morning everyone.
Can anyone help me out with the minimum temperature for our childminding rooms please.
I'm closing for a day later this month due to a planned power cut for this area for maintenance work on the power lines, so no heat, light, hot drinks or food.
There'll be no power from 9am- to at least 4pm, possibly later.

I'm going to see if I can claim loss of earnings from the power company, citing minimum room temperature etc

Thanks


Really! I wouldn't have thought you stood a slightest chance in this.

Why can't you stay open? The children will be fine, get extra jumpers, fleeces.etc. Have boiling water in flasks and hot milk if they drink that. You could also put a hot casserole in a wide necked flask for lunch, but I would just do a sandwich lunch that day. Or I would go on a trip out and buy the children a hot lunch out if it was a clod day. I am sure that with this notice and being presented with a good plan the parents would pay for this. If you think it will get dark and have no prevision for adequate light then ask the parents to collect a bit earlier this day given the notice again I'm sure they would understand.

We had this notice given to us a while ago and I must say it never occurred to me to close I just Risk Assessed what I needed to do to remain open. In reality the power was off for a very short time I guess the power company doing the work has to prepare for the worst case scenario.

I grew up in the 50s 60s and 70s and it wasn't until the mid 70s when I was well into my teenage years that we had Central Heating upstairs and downstairs. When we did it went on in the morning for an hour and the evening for a couple of hours. As a student I had a radiant elec heater in my bedroom that was a coin operated one and cost far too much to run so I didn't.

We never have the heating on at night and never have unless it is very very cold and then it is on very low in the bedrooms just to allow the fabric of the building remain warm as that is cheaper than allowing the house to get really cold and warm it up again. We always have windows open all year round as well. I am sure this helps us keep more healthy.

loocyloo
15-11-2012, 11:32 AM
i grew up in an old cold house ... you could put the heating on, but the the heat never got more than a foot away from the big old radiators! we had a log burning stove in the kitchen and open fires in the sitting room!

our current house is another old cold house. we have an aga in the kitchen, and that is lovely & warm, but the heat doesn't travel round the house due to the way it is designed. i have an electric heater in the playroom, as i currently use the conservatory and its not warm! lovely in the summer or when the sun shines though!

all my mindees come with slippers & an extra jumper, and i am sure that we are healthier for not being warm. the germs don't last so well here!

rickysmiths
15-11-2012, 11:33 AM
Oh Bunyip how I laughed to read this - my childhood in a nutshell!!!!
My son was born in 1972 in one of the planned power cuts - he was born at 2am during a Midnight to 4am cut, by candlelight as the Maternity Home had no backup generator, delivered by a red haired Irish Nun who swore like a trooper and then said "God forgive me" after each swear word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it was just me and mine at home I'd not worry, that's what jumpers hats and gloves are for.


Thanks everyone for the info.
Small village, no childrens groups on Tuesday, and I have to be in the house all day anyway as they need to access the electric meter upstairs, whenever it's my turn.
Baby's only 10 months, just crawling so not that mobile to keep warm. 2 yr olds would do better.
If baby's asleep upstairs and they need to work on the meter it's on the landing so I'd have to get him up if he was asleep when they need to work on it.
Nowhere downstairs for him to sleep.
No landline on the day and no mobile signal here, so also a worry.


That puts a different perspective on it. Maybe under the circumstances as the parents of the 10mth old to keep them at home. Or if you have a baby monitor then there is no reason why they shouldn't be asleep in the bedroom upstairs, the workmen don't even need to know I would close all the doors on the landing. You will be able to hear immediately if any of the workman go into the room. You could also invest in a self adhesive door alarm and fit this to the door of the room the baby is sleeping in they are very easy to fit and give of a very loud shrill noise if the door is opened so you would know immediately and if one of the work man did try to go in it would frighten them to death!! They are not very expensive.

I have one similar to this on my Utility Room Door:

Swann Magnectic Window and Door Alarm with Chime | Ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com/242110-swann-magnectic-window-and-door-alarm-with-chime-sw351-mda?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products)

if you google 'self adhesive door alarms' lots come up.

mushpea
15-11-2012, 11:59 AM
my heatings not on during the day at the moment unless its really cold yesterday the 8yrold who was in just a tshirt kept moaning he was cold so I told him to put his jumper on and he ignored me, I still didnt put the heating on till 5pm, we tend to go out for walks or play in the garden a lot then when we come back in the house feels warm to us anyway.

lynnfi
15-11-2012, 12:45 PM
Who and where does it say that!!!

My home is usually about 18 degrees.

In the autumn /winter /Spring I expect the parents to provide the children with a fleece or jumper that can be warn indoors, they can not expect to wear short sleeved tee shirts all year round. Though I do have one at the moment who wore a thick wool out fit in the summer and has come in a thin summer dress recently :rolleyes:

19 as an average, between 18 and 21 should be fine! I read it somewhere official a few years ago, wonder if it was EYFS or not. Probably not from your comment, but I am sure you will agree that this is a sensible average temp. And I agree that we can definitively survive at much less :)

jo.jo76
15-11-2012, 12:51 PM
When I worked in a school we used to moan that it was freezing on a Monday in winter where the heating had been off over weekend. We were told it had to below 16 degrees for 3 days before we could close!

AliceK
15-11-2012, 01:01 PM
When I worked in a school we used to moan that it was freezing on a Monday in winter where the heating had been off over weekend. We were told it had to below 16 degrees for 3 days before we could close!

They obviously weren't working within The Education (School Premises) Regulations then :panic:

xxxx

dette
15-11-2012, 01:02 PM
HSE say 16 degree for adults but schools say 18 as children cant withstand as low as adults ,so i would go with 18 x

moggy
15-11-2012, 01:02 PM
I'm afraid no heating from 9am to 4pm would be no problem at all in my opinion, it is not arctic conditions out there! An extra jumper is all we'd need if that, I often have my heating off during the day. Flasks for warm drinks if needed, light is not problem at 4pm really. I would be embarrassed to try to make a claim TBH:eek:

hectors house
15-11-2012, 01:08 PM
That puts a different perspective on it. Maybe under the circumstances as the parents of the 10mth old to keep them at home. Or if you have a baby monitor then there is no reason why they shouldn't be asleep in the bedroom upstairs, the workmen don't even need to know I would close all the doors on the landing. You will be able to hear immediately if any of the workman go into the room. You could also invest in a self adhesive door alarm and fit this to the door of the room the baby is sleeping in they are very easy to fit and give of a very loud shrill noise if the door is opened so you would know immediately and if one of the work man did try to go in it would frighten them to death!! They are not very expensive.

I have one similar to this on my Utility Room Door:

Swann Magnectic Window and Door Alarm with Chime | Ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com/242110-swann-magnectic-window-and-door-alarm-with-chime-sw351-mda?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products)

if you google 'self adhesive door alarms' lots come up.

Doesn't the baby monitor work on ELECTRICITY though Rickysmiths - think mine does or does it just work like old fashioned cocoa tin and bit of string method of communication?

blue bear
15-11-2012, 01:21 PM
In Registration regulations for childminders in Devon dated 1997 it states the room temp should be at least 16 degrees c.

Tatjana
15-11-2012, 01:57 PM
What about your food in the fridge and freezer, won't it affect it?

lilac_dragon
15-11-2012, 02:00 PM
In Registration regulations for childminders in Devon dated 1997 it states the room temp should be at least 16 degrees c.

This is what concerned me - I have a feeling, but can't find it, that there is an "official" minimum temperature. At the moment the thermometer in this room says we're at 16 degrees and it's not really cold outside but in 2 weeks time when the work is due, who knows what the temp will be.e to get thhe rooms.e baby down when the workmen need to be there because once a ladder is put up there is no space whatsoever to get in or out of t

My baby monitor is electric so No it won't work, interested though in the door alarm and will investigate that anyway. Thanks.

My landing, where the meter is - high on the wall/ceiling, is miniscule. I would have to get the baby down when the work started as once a step ladder is put up there would be no room to even step off of the stairs.

hello kitty
15-11-2012, 02:00 PM
I had this just last week. Advised no power from 8.45 until 5.00 but it did come back on at 2.15.

I considered closing but didn't want to lose a days pay and in the end it was fine. They only electric I use in the day is for the radio so I made sure my ipad was fully charged and used the radio on that and I don't drink hot drinks very often so that was not a problem and I asked parents to send in cold packed lunches ie sandwiches etc. We also went out for an hour or so to the library to kill some time.

No problems. You'll be fine. ;)

k1rstie
15-11-2012, 02:26 PM
there is an "official" minimum temperature..



Have you ever noticed how cold the staff working on the tills at supermarkets look. They often have fingerless gloves on. Thats because there is no legal minimum temperture requirement (think of staff working in coldstores, outside or even on farms), there are actually requiremements for a maximum temperature at which you can work.


My Dh is a supermarket manager, and the uniforn is just normal shirt sleeves and a tie. In the winter, he wears a very manly vest!!!!!!!!!

Do not worry about your fridge or freezer. So long as you keep the doors closed everything should be okay. You could always put them on superclod or fast freeze beforehand. Temp probe it after the power comes back on, and stick it back on fast freeze

dette
15-11-2012, 02:30 PM
What about your food in the fridge and freezer, won't it affect it?

that will have its own thermostat so regulates itself

rickysmiths
15-11-2012, 02:44 PM
Doesn't the baby monitor work on ELECTRICITY though Rickysmiths - think mine does or does it just work like old fashioned cocoa tin and bit of string method of communication?

Yes that's true :blush:

So the magnetic alarm then :thumbsup:

rickysmiths
15-11-2012, 02:50 PM
What about your food in the fridge and freezer, won't it affect it?

Freezer should be alright if you don't open it. If the elec is really going to be off for that time I would let the contents of my fridge wind down to the basics.

blue bear
15-11-2012, 05:33 PM
1The law does not state a minimum temperature, but the temperature in workrooms should normally be at least:

16°C, or
13°C if much of the work is physical.
For full details read on...

Taken from hse website, I would not worry if it falls below 16, wrap babe up to sleep in the garden in the pram, mine all sleep outside anyway, they sleep much better out doors.

manjay
15-11-2012, 06:06 PM
We do have a requirement in Wales. Our rooms have to be at a minimum of 18 degrees.

I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with. If you are happier to be closed then that is what you should do.

Linda Mc
15-11-2012, 07:01 PM
:laughing: Bunyip I remember that well! We had no central heating, just a coal fire in the kitchen that mum & dad got up early to light so it was warm when we got dressed in the kitchen to go to school. We lived in the North East & in winter time we had frost on the inside of our bedroom windows (before the age of double glazing) so there was no way we'd get ready upstairs! lol

bunyip
15-11-2012, 07:16 PM
Oh Bunyip how I laughed to read this - my childhood in a nutshell!!!!
My son was born in 1972 in one of the planned power cuts - he was born at 2am during a Midnight to 4am cut, by candlelight as the Maternity Home had no backup generator, delivered by a red haired Irish Nun who swore like a trooper and then said "God forgive me" after each swear word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it was just me and mine at home I'd not worry, that's what jumpers hats and gloves are for.


Thanks everyone for the info.
Small village, no childrens groups on Tuesday, and I have to be in the house all day anyway as they need to access the electric meter upstairs, whenever it's my turn.
Baby's only 10 months, just crawling so not that mobile to keep warm. 2 yr olds would do better.
If baby's asleep upstairs and they need to work on the meter it's on the landing so I'd have to get him up if he was asleep when they need to work on it.
Nowhere downstairs for him to sleep.
No landline on the day and no mobile signal here, so also a worry.

In terms of a need to close, I'd be less concerned about temperatures and more concerned about workmen in the house. At least, concerned about parents' and maybe Ofsted's perception of this. If I did close, then yes I'd be asking the leccy company about redress for loss of earnings.

Personally, I've always been more concerned about excessively high temperatures, which are a much more lovely environment for germs than cold places. Public buildings are so heavily overheated these days, it's unreal. I've worked in a warehouse (including walk-in freezers) and snowbound open railways stations. I've also worked in overheated shops and at Heathrow the day the mercury topped 100F. I always seemed to get ill when it was cold outside and hot indoors. I recall when I worked in a bookshop and the company told us to stop wearing suits, and handed out uniform polo shirts. The manager whacked the heating up to compensate. But the customers still came in their top coats when it was cold/raining. The management couldn't figure out why they only stayed a short time and left without buying anything. :doh: