Energy produced from fossil fuels has a harmful effect on the environment because it is the biggest contributor to emissions of CO2 gas, which is acknowledged as the biggest cause of global warming.

You can look at the ways your school uses energy and take steps to reduce overall consumption. This will not only help the environment but also reduce utility costs, freeing up funds for other school activities.

Tips for reducing energy consumption in your school

1. Take meter readings last thing at night and first thing in the morning to find out how much energy is used when no-one is there. You can take steps to reduce this, such as turning off computer monitors overnight.
2. Make use of daylight in classrooms and switch off all non-essential lighting out of hours.
3. Experiment with switch-on/off times for heating
4. Ensure thermostats are set correctly. Remember children have higher metabolic rates than adults and are comfortable at lower temperatures
5. Walk around your school at different times of the day to see how energy using services are used. Are lights left on, windows open when the heating is on, computers and printers left on when everyone has gone home?

If you can resolve some of these issues you may be able to make significant savings on your school's utility bills.

Check your tariff

The prices of gas and electricity are continually changing and vary according to the location and size of the supply. Therefore, schools that do not regularly review their suppliers could be paying more than 25% over others who have moved to the competitive market.

You can read more information about this in our article, supplied by the Building Research Establishment (BRE)