Schools can save teachers by spending millions less on energy

Poor management of utility contracts causes schools to overspend

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As a result of the government’s freeze on school funding it’s no surprise that staffing levels have come under the spotlight. Brian Lightman, general secretary of ASCL, which represents the majority of secondary school head teachers in England, said that “Schools face rising costs without any additional money to meet them, this is a significant real-term cut in their budgets.”

But there is a way to help budgets stretch further to ensure we do not lose teachers, lecturers and support staff. An analysis by Siemens’ Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF) scheme recently found that the education sector overspends on energy by as much as £173 million per year, due to inefficient technology, equipment and controls. Money that could have been spent on wages.

Many schools overspend on energy bills simply because they don’t understand their contracts, causing them to overpay. This particularly occurs when they move to default rates following contract expiration. Such rates are usually much higher — sometimes up to 50% more expensive.

When schools don’t have the time or the expertise to manage their own utility costs in-house, an independent consultant, such as The Monarch Partnership should be considered to research the market, source, negotiate and procure the best value for money.