Schools

UK schools could save around £70 million per year by reducing their energy costs. This would also reduce their CO2 emissions by up to 300,000 tonnes.

Simple and cheap measures could allow lots of schools to use less energy, save money on their energy bills and also reduce their carbon emissions.

What to do now

Secondary schools: Apply for a free Carbon Survey of your site.

Interest-free loans are available to help schools in the private sector.

And don't stop there. Make these simple improvements to the areas with the biggest carbon saving potential in your sector:

	Heating/hot water Set your heating system to reach optimum temperature when people are arriving and to begin cooling down as they leave. Advice on making heating more efficient

	Lighting A great way to save money on lighting is to put a notice next to every light switch that encourages people to switch lights off after use. This will not only save money, but also promote environmental awareness. Advice on making lighting more efficient

	Refrigeration Only switch on kitchen equipment when it's required and ask staff to switch it off immediately after use. Advice for making your refrigeration more efficient

Next steps

Carry out an energy walk around to see where you can save energy across all existing systems.

The biggest opportunities for saving in this sector are in the following technologies. Work through each section to improve energy efficiency on your site.