Saving heat

Optimising heating in schools can save you money, meet climate action targets and have a positive impact on the environment. Learn how to manage your use of space heaters, hot water and more.

Space heating

Between 50-70% of the energy consumed in schools is used for space heating. This is usually done through a central boiler house which provides heat to radiators around the building.

Reducing fossil fuel use

Boilers use fossil fuels such as oil and gas to provide heat which in turn produce unwanted greenhouse gas emissions. Some schools use electric heating as the main heating source. Newer schools often use efficient renewable electric heat pump technology.

Electricity that comes from the national grid will eventually be from renewable energy sources. This means that space heating from electricity is preferable rather than using fossil fuels such as oil or gas.

Saving energy at school

Heating

There are plenty of ways to save money, reduce energy used for heat and keep your classroom comfortable. Some tips include to:

  • Check all radiators work properly
  • Ensure staff know how to use thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves (they should be set to 18 degrees)
  • Ensure time clocks are set to the correct time and day of the week, with correct on-off times
  • Experiment with switch-on/off times for heating to see if later start and earlier stop times are possible
  • Heating zone controls can be used to save energy depending on school need
  • Close doors and windows around the school to retain heat
  • Read the gas and oil meters regularly and keep track of fuel bills
  • Improve your building's fabric to make the building less draughty and reduce building heat loss. Gaps around windows and doors should be addressed to avoid heat escaping and will make the building less draughty
  • Ensure heating is switched off when school is unoccupied (e.g. mid term and other holiday periods)

Hot water

Hot water in schools is normally provided by the heating system or electrically. To reduce energy used to heat water, we recommend to:

  • Repair dripping hot taps
  • Replace old high flow taps with low flow rate percussion spray taps
  • Ensure that water heating doesn't run outside school hours
  • Check for leaks in the system
  • Ensure any Hot Water cylinders are insulated.
  • Ensure Hot Water set point storage temperatures are high enough to manage legionellla but not excessively high

Useful factsheet downloads

Read your meters

Often a bill is based on estimates of consumption. To obtain a more accurate bill, read your gas meter monthly and tell your utility company the meter reading.

Meter readings also help to know how much gas or oil your school uses. It's a good first step for understanding your baseline use. Try to read the meter weekly and before / after each holiday.

It is best to read the meter at the same time of day and same day of the week. By subtracting one meter reading from another, you can calculate how much you have used in that period. It helps to put a regular reminder in your mobile phone.