We are now well into the winter heating season but, despite the support from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, schools are facing huge financial pressures due to rising energy costs.
A recent survey by Barker of over 2000 schools discovered that around 60% of the energy consumed at a typical school is when there are no students in the building.
Making sure your heating systems are set correctly and appliances are turned off can have a huge impact and costs little to implement.
- Optimise controls and programmers – ensure time clocks and controls match operational hours. Turn heating systems down to frost protection modes during holidays. Put controls on equipment such as sandwich fridges and water heaters.
- Temperature settings – review setting on boilers, air conditioning units, local programmers and thermostats. Minimise the use of temporary heaters where possible. If your school has a Building Management System (BMS) you may need a qualified engineer but this is often money well spent.
- IT equipment – Ensure all IT equipment is switched off when not in use (not just put in standby mode) and server rooms are not set below 24degreesC
- Lighting – ensure everything is switched off when not in use. Consider a review of operational hours for sports hall and external lighting
For more detailed information, download Barker’s FREE Energy Saving/Shutdown checklist.
Barker Associates
