The Problem
Your gas usage over the last year of 360,000 kWh is too high. Other schools of a similar floor area use 280,000 kWh. If you matched the gas use of these schools you could save £2,300 per year, and if you matched the best performing schools you could save £3,000.
Common causes
- The heating is left running during the school holidays and weekends. Weekend and holiday use should be close to zero, with only a small amount of gas used to prevent the water pipes from freezing in really cold weather.
- Your thermostats are turned up too high. A 1C decrease in temperature on the thermostat leads to about a 10% decrease in gas consumption.
- Your heating comes on too early in the morning. It is normally adequate for your heating to come on between 5.30 to 6.30am.
- The main boiler thermostat is situated in a cold, poorly insulated space, typically a corridor or a hall which in cold weather never gets up to temperature. This means the school heating system keeps running, even when the classrooms are too hot.
- Your school regularly has doors and windows open with the heating running.
- Your hot water system is left running all year round.
What you should do
- Turn off your heating and hot water during the school holidays.
- Turn down the thermostat by 1C or more.
- Set the boiler to come on later in the morning.
- Move the main boiler thermostat to a less draughty location, such as the school office.
- Run a campaign to make sure everyone in the school knows that windows and doors should be closed when the heating is on.
