Placing one’s Trusts in Energy Management

With schools and academies under increased financial pressure, we highlight ways to reduce energy costs.

As the number of schools converting to academies continues to rise, so does the financial pressure on school governing bodies. According to a recent report by The Observer, eight out of the top thirteen multi-academy trusts have raised warnings over mounting deficits and failure of funding to keep pace with costs. The amount of money spent on heating and lighting schools is normally second only to staffing costs so any savings that can be made in this area definitely need to be considered by any business managers, head teachers or finance officers. The good news is that utility bills can be reduced without having a negative impact on the day-to- day running of the school. Indeed, a recent report by the Carbon Trust reveals that UK schools could collectively reduce energy costs by around £44
million a year.

Our expert market analysis and energy procurement team can identify pricing trends in advance of spikes in the cost of gas and electricity so that you can get the right energy contract at the right time and right price. As well as getting the best value for your power, it is important to make sure the terms and conditions meet your needs; expensive break clauses need to be avoided at all costs.

Like any business or organisation, schools can grow. Residential development within the school’s catchment area, for example, may lead to an increase in pupil numbers and place existing facilities under pressure. Increasing the energy supply to an existing site or changing premises altogether if the current site has outgrown its use, can come with problems – and a huge amount of paperwork. At Energy Management, we pride ourselves in our ability to manage such situations and agree the best terms and conditions with energy suppliers to ensure that clients are not caught out by such a change in circumstances.

In addition to getting the best price for your power, reducing energy consumption is another obvious way of reducing energy bills. To be more energy efficient you need to know how much you’re consuming first, and this isn’t achievable without possible accurate monitoring and data logging of energy use. Our smart metering management service enables schools to identify periods when energy use is at its highest and then make informed decisions going forward.

Incredibly, significant savings can be made purely by checking utility bills thoroughly. Our research has shown that as many as one in five bills are wrong with over-charges amounting to as much as three to five percent of the overall bill total. Energy Management use a bespoke invoice-checking system to shine a light on any errors, so that action can be taken to recover any over charges as quickly as possible to ensure you are getting the deal that you signed up for.

If you would like to know how we can save energy within your school, organisation and business,
please get in touch via our contact page or telephone on 01225 867722.