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Schools could save £130m a year by cutting utility costs
Released 21/02/2012
New research launched today by carbon reduction specialist Sustain, has found that money spent on energy and water by schools could be dramatically reduced
Research shows even basic utility saving measures for schools in England would result in £130m in savings
Looking at state schools in England alone this could result in total savings of at least £130m a year, an additional £19 to spend on each child annually.
In a secondary school the energy savings available could easily provide enough savings to the teaching budget to pay for an extra full time teaching assistant or even an NQT.
The research was carried out by using publically available data outlining the energy spend of state schools in England. It found that every year schools spend £641m on energy and water which represents 3.5% of the costs spent on teaching staff.
Even basic utility saving measures for schools in England would result in £130m in savings – enough to fund the annual operating and teaching costs in 116 schools.
Matt Fulford, Head of Low Carbon Buildings at Sustain, said: “The kinds of measures schools could easily adopt are tried and tested measures which have been proven to work. These include changing lamps in existing light fittings, making sure existing heating systems are running well and temperature settings are in place to reduce running time and insulating buildings and boiler rooms.
“These ideas may seem like simplistic solutions and far from the often more attractive renewable energy schemes but, cumulatively, and combined with other well thought out measures they could save schools a fortune. There is currently huge pressure on schools to cut costs and this is an area where they can do so with ease.”
“Within schools the energy saving programmes can also be designed to support the teaching and learning of the students. Getting staff and pupils involved provides additional savings by making them more aware of how they use energy and how their actions can make the building more efficient and more comfortable.”
“We’re sure that Head Teachers and Chairs of Governors, will be delighted to see these figures, which could make a real difference to school finances.”
Bill Simmonds, Chief Executive of the National Association of School Business Managers (NASBM), said “For most schools, electricity and gas costs are the highest behind the annual wage bill. Any savings that can be made are hugely beneficial in allowing the school to meet other financial demands. Under the current budget constraints and a drive for greater efficiency in schools it is key that schools identify and make any savings where possible.”