Reduce your school’s energy use during summer

Explore our practical steps to help manage energy costs and prepare for the new school year.

With the summer holidays just around the corner, schools are gearing up to prepare for a few weeks of quiet before September rolls around again. Part of those preparations will be restocking on essentials and getting everything clean for the start of the new school year in September – but one overlooked area to remember is switching things off to save energy.

Leaving equipment and devices unchecked can mean that even though your school stands empty, you may be using gas and electricity unnecessarily. Each day could add up to more than you might think, so it’s well worth requesting your caretaking staff or facilities team do a sweep of powered items before your school closes for summer.

What should our school switch off over the summer holidays?

Lighting

This one might sound so very simple, which can also make it easy to miss. Lighting in classrooms is an obvious one to go around and check, but those lights in storerooms or less visible areas can go under the radar.

While one light won’t have a massive impact, several could still make a difference over the weeks they remain switched on. In addition, life span of the bulbs may be impacted, meaning they need replacing sooner and adding to the cost.

Heating & Cooling

Any heating equipment or appliances such as drinks boilers or water coolers left to run over summer can quickly add up to a bigger bill than you’d like. Ensure that if your school has heating set to turn on and off automatically, it is set at the necessary levels or switched off for the warmer summer months.

If you still have food in fridges or freezers, whether that’s in the school kitchen, staff room or classrooms, it’s well worth consolidating everything into one. That way, you can switch unused appliances off, helping your school to save on unnecessary running costs.

Don’t forget about hot water heating either, it’s unlikely to be needed until the first staff member returns to the building. Just ensure to flush the system through and heat things to 60^oC before using to minimise any bacteria.

Reducing your heating costs at the source

As gas powers the majority of heating systems, taking a more efficient approach to how it’s procured can make a significant difference. Through our Gas framework, organisations have collectively saved over £8 million to date, with some reducing costs by up to 40% - helping free up budget for priority projects.

Air Quality

Extractor fans can run passively in the background, which might mean they’re not something that comes to mind when switching off for summer. While the building isn’t in use, extraction units can be dormant until needed again.

Any air purifiers that might have been brought in as a measure to combat the spread of germs and illness can also be turned off while the school is empty - the risks are minimal during this time and a thorough clean before reopening can help ensure everything is fresh, safe and ready for students and staff to return.

IT equipment and business machines

Computers and electronic equipment are heavily in use throughout schools. Whether it’s in your back office or the classrooms, the smartest move is to turn this equipment off everything. Leaving devices on standby can consume more energy than you might expect.

For desktop computers, make sure these are fully powered down so there isn’t any draw on your electricity. Laptops should also be switched off and not actively charging. If you happen to leave one on and plugged in, that can be pulling energy to keep it running over the whole of summer. The same goes for any tablets you might have, battery life can take a hit, although setting devices to use smart charging can help mitigate this.

Other electronic items which you might find around your school include smart boards, projectors, photocopiers and printers – all of which could be consuming power whilst in standby mode. Ensure these items are powered down to minimise the use of electricity in your school.

Helping schools manage energy costs with confidence

With electricity costs often fluctuating, having a clear and considered approach to procurement can help schools stay in control of their budgets. Our energy procurement service supports you in finding an option that suits your needs, while providing forecasting insights to help you plan with greater certainty.

Subject-specific equipment

Some lessons potentially have equipment or devices that are essential to those subjects, such as electronic instruments for Music or machinery and tools for Design Technology classes.

Sweeping the room(s) and double checking that classroom equipment is turned off at the mains helps to prevent items being accidentally left running all summer.

It can also support health and safety checks, helping to identify any equipment that may have been left on during previous use.

Taking responsibility for the switch off

These are all great things to keep in mind when looking to minimise your school’s energy usage over the summer holidays. Energy saving is most effective when everyone takes responsibility for switching things off.

Share these energy saving tips with your colleagues so that everyone is aware of what to look for and action around your school. Go one step further and set-up a checklist, assign roles or tasks, and tick through things one by one.

If you’re still looking for other ways to save on your energy usage, get in touch with our procurement team and find out how YPO can switch you onto a better solution for your school.

Find out more at ypo.co.uk/energy