Energy costs have always been a significant cost for schools, but in the last year energy prices have dramatically increased and it is predicted to continue to rise in the future. In light of this, schools need to start thinking about how they are going to protect themselves from these energy rises.

What can schools do?

There are several actions that schools can do which can include ensuring that you are getting the best energy deal, that your school is not wasting energy unnecessarily, increase the energy efficiency of your buildings and generate your own energy.

During the Covid pandemic, reducing energy wastage has moved to the bottom of the list as the priority was to ventilate the buildings to prevent the spread of the virus. However, there are some useful suggestions in our Steps to a Greener Business blog that might help.

Taking practicality into account there are a few ways that the school can make positive steps to reduce their energy consumption that are great options for schools with minimal disruption and are achievable.

LED lighting upgrades offer the greatest energy-saving potential with up to 80% lighting costs possible. Lighting upgrades are easy to do and can be done around the school day or in the holidays to prevent disruption to the school. LED lighting also benefits from lasting up to five times longer which reduces the cost of replacements and maintenance. Also as energy prices rise the savings achieved will also increase over time.

Solar PV is a great way of generating clean energy which will be produced during the day whilst schools can benefit by using energy. As the cost of installing solar PV has come down and energy prices have risen the payback period has reduced and it has become an extremely good option for many schools that want to generate their own electricity.

Funding energy efficiency improvements

One of the most cost-effective funding options available is via an operating lease which can pay for the installation with no upfront cost. At the moment operating leases are being offered with competitive interest rates making it an ideal time to take one out. What makes this even more attractive is that the savings achieved by upgrading your lighting can be used to pay the operating lease repayments.

As energy prices continue to rise and savings can be made straight away and will continue to be made into the future (and savings may increase if energy prices continue to rise), how can you not afford to act now and replace your old and dated lighting? Also if you have halogen or fluorescent light lamps these are currently being phased out with halogen lamps in September this year and fluorescent bulbs in 2023, so you will need to switch them at some point soon and may as well make the savings straight away.

Act now and get in touch with us to find out more about upgrading your lighting, solar PV and how an operating lease could help you fund your energy efficiency project.