Introduction
As energy prices continue to rise, budgets get tighter, and schools are under mounting pressure to manage their energy effectively to avoid high costs and even higher carbon emissions.
According to the Carbon Trust, UK schools spend an estimated £542 million on energy each year, making it one of the largest areas of their operational spending. If schools don’t have a clear strategy in place, costs can stack up, taking funding away from essential resources for students and staff.
Our guide outlines practical steps for managing energy consumption in schools, so you can better understand your energy use and create a strategy to lower costs and work towards sustainability goals.
Why Is Energy Management in Schools Important?
According to the Department for Education, the education sector accounts for 37% of total public sector emissions. This includes 13% from state primary schools, 11% from state secondary schools, and 13% from universities, making it the largest contributor to public sector carbon emissions.
There are also a number of regulations and policy frameworks for schools put in place by the Department for Education that schools are expected to align with. These include requirements around energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and the monitoring and reporting of energy use, as well as wider expectations linked to sustainability and reaching net zero targets, making energy management in schools essential for compliance.
As well as being essential for compliance, managing energy consumption in schools has a number of benefits:
- Cost savings – The more you understand your energy use, the easier it is to identify opportunities for savings. By pinpointing areas of high consumption, you can start to implement actions to reduce waste and lower overall energy bills.
- Increased sustainability – Effective energy management supports your wider environmental goals by reducing overall consumption and lowering your carbon footprint. More efficient energy use lessens the impact on the planet and demonstrates your commitment to sustainability, which can be showcased to prospective students, parents and investors, enhancing your school’s reputation as an environmentally responsible institution.
- Promotes responsible citizenship – Incorporating energy management into everyday school operations helps educate young people about the importance of responsible energy use and encourages eco-friendly behaviour, setting them up for a healthier future and creating a culture of eco-consciousness in your school.
- Saves time and effort – Effective energy management in schools reduces the time, effort, and stress spent dealing with energy issues, allowing staff to focus on educational priorities. It can also extend the lifespan of essential equipment by reducing unnecessary energy strain.
- Creates a healthier learning environment – Basic energy management techniques such as better temperature control, ventilation, and lighting can improve student concentration and performance by maintaining comfortable classroom conditions.
Our Top Tips for Managing Energy Consumption in Schools
When it comes to energy management in schools, the best first step is to closely examine and understand the ways in which you use energy, identifying areas of your operations and usage patterns. This will enable you to set achievable targets and easily measure progress.
Understanding your energy
Carry out an energy audit
The best starting point for building an energy management strategy is to carry out an energy audit. This will allow you to approach your energy usage from all angles, creating a holistic picture of your consumption. A thorough audit will act as a ‘health check’ for your school, so you can establish a baseline against which to measure your progress, you will also be create a ‘shopping list’ of measures you can implement to better manage your energy.
Submetering
Submetering can be particularly beneficial for larger schools with multiple buildings or campuses where usage can vary between sites. where usage can vary between sites.
By installing submeters, schools can gain detailed visibility of how energy is being consumed across specific buildings, departments, or systems. This level of insight allows you to clearly identify which areas of your school are using the most energy, highlighting inefficiencies so you can prioritise improvements where they will have the greatest impact.
When combined with smart metering, submetering provides real-time data that enables you to quickly identify anomalies or unexpected spikes in usage so you can address them. You can also pinpoint when your energy demand is highest during the day or week, so you can adjust operations or shift usage to off-peak times where possible.
Set measurable targets
Having realistic, measurable targets when managing energy consumption in schools is essential. Having clear goals will make it easier to monitor performance and demonstrate progress over time. Focusing on termly targets can make energy management more manageable and allow you to track improvements in line with the academic calendar.
Technology and site upgrades
Optimise your lighting
Optimising your lighting is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption in schools whilst also improving the learning environment. Upgrading to LED lighting offers higher energy efficiency, a longer lifespan, and better-quality light that supports teaching and student focus. LEDs are also far easier to integrate with modern control technologies.
Incorporating lighting controls such as motion sensors, daylight sensors, and timers can automatically switch off lights in empty classrooms or adjust brightness based on natural light levels, reducing wasted energy across corridors, classrooms, and shared spaces.
Optimise your heating
Upgrading your heating system is another key step in energy management for schools. Replacing outdated boilers with modern, high-efficiency boilers or transitioning to heat pumps can significantly improve performance and reduce long-term operating costs.
Pairing this with smart heating controls such as programmable thermostats and zoned heating systems allows schools to heat only the areas in use, at the right times of day.
Insulation improvements
Improving insulation is essential for reducing heat loss and improving the overall energy efficiency of your school’s building. Upgrading roof, wall, and pipe insulation helps retain warmth within the building, leading to less demand on heating systems.
Installing double or triple glazing on windows reduces heat loss, eliminates draughts, and improves thermal comfort, particularly in older school buildings where single glazing is still common.
Install solar panels
Around 20% of schools in the UK use on-site solar panels to generate their own electricity. Installing solar panels for your school allows you to reduce your reliance on grid energy and lower energy costs in the long term.
Beyond financial savings, solar installations also offer educational opportunities, helping students learn about renewable energy and environmental stewardship in a practical, hands-on way.
If you’re considering solar panels for your school, our solar panel calculator can help you understand the potential benefits, from how much energy your school could generate to the estimated savings and how long it may take for the system to pay for itself.
Operational Improvements
Switch off
School buildings have a lot of downtime so setting your systems to turn off when you no longer need them can have a big impact on reducing your consumption. You should also encourage staff and students to turn off lights, screens, and equipment when not in use, as simple behavioural changes can lead to noticeable energy savings.
For school holidays, evenings and weekends, make sure you have clear procedures in place, so heating, lighting and other equipment is not left running in empty buildings.
Schedule regular maintenance
A big part of energy management in schools involves ensuring all equipment is well maintained and regularly serviced. HVAC systems, door seals, insulation and any electrical equipment should be checked regularly to maintain efficiency and prevent energy waste.
Prioritise temperature control
Prioritising temperature control is essential for maintaining comfort and effectively managing energy consumption in schools.
Finding optimal heating settings is a key first step. According to the National Education Union, classrooms should generally be kept between 18°C and 24°C, providing a comfortable environment for learning without over-heating and wasting energy.
Zoning and space management further improve efficiency by concentrating activities in specific areas, allowing unused zones to remain unheated and unlit. Finally, simple practices such as keeping doors and windows closed when heating is on help prevent heat loss, ensuring that energy is used effectively to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.
Check your IT settings
Choosing the right IT settings is a simple yet effective way to reduce energy consumption in schools. By using sleep or hibernate modes on computers, monitors, printers, and other electronic devices, you can lower energy use when equipment is not in active use. This not only cuts electricity costs but also extends the lifespan of devices.
Schools can also set automatic shutdown schedules for after-hours use, ensuring devices are not left running overnight or during weekends.
Get students and staff involved
Getting students and staff involved is key to successfully managing energy consumption in your school. Engaging the wider school community through eco-groups, energy champions, or competitions helps reinforce good energy habits, encourages collective responsibility, and makes energy saving a shared, visible part of school life.
Ready to Get to Grips with Your School’s Energy Management?
At Ennovus, we offer a range of solutions that can help you better manage your school’s energy.
If you’re ready to take the next step, we’ll work with you to develop a long-term sustainability strategy tailored to your school’s needs. This includes exploring opportunities such as solar energy, heat decarbonisation, and targeted energy efficiency improvements, helping you reduce carbon emissions, lower energy costs, and align with government targets, all whilst creating a more resilient and future-ready school estate.
Whether you’re considering solar panels, battery storage, or other renewable technologies, Ennovus delivers fully managed, end-to-end solutions, from initial feasibility studies through to installation, commissioning, and ongoing support. To learn more about how solar energy could benefit your school, check out our solar schools’ guide.
If you’d like to find out more about our services or energy management in general, get in touch to explore options for your school.
