Back to School: How Oxfordshire Schools Spent the Summer Cutting Energy Bills
The start of a new school year usually means new shoes and a fresh timetable. Behind the scenes at a growing number of Oxfordshire schools, it also means lower electricity bills.
Over the summer break, schools across the county took advantage of the quiet weeks to get work done that simply isn’t possible during term time – fitting solar panels, replacing lighting, and opening up their buildings to a proper look at where energy and money are being wasted.
Much of that work is being supported by ACES – Action on Carbon and Energy in Schools – a free advisory service funded by Oxfordshire County Council. ACES helps schools work out what would make the biggest difference to their energy use, and then supports them through actually getting it done.
What Happened Over the Summer
Six schools received a full, detailed energy assessment: a site visit from energy specialists who go through the buildings, heating systems and electricity use and come back with a prioritised list of what to fix first, what it would cost, and what it would save.
Installed rooftop solar PV system.
Across those six schools, the measures put forward could save up to 100,110 kWh of electricity and 177,510 kWh of gas every year – around ccc kWh in total, and roughly 53.7 tonnes of CO2e a year once fully implemented.
Thermal photography for finding energy losses.
Not all of that needs deep pockets. ACES expects schools that act on just the low and medium-cost recommendations – the draught-proofing, controls, lighting and behaviour changes rather than the major plant replacements – to see a 20 to 35% reduction in their energy bills.
Installing shades to overcome overheating.
A seventh school took up something newer – a climate adaptation assessment. Rather than looking at carbon and bills, this one looks at how well a school will cope with the weather that’s coming: classrooms that overheat in June, playgrounds and buildings at risk of flooding, and water use during dry spells. The school gets a tailored plan, with actions ranked by impact, cost and how hard they are to do. Some of them turn out to be as straightforward as clearing gutters, improving ventilation or adding shade.
Sustainable drainage planter.
Alongside the assessments, eight schools are now working their way through Oxfordshire County Council’s interest-free Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme, with one preparing to install a solar array in October. If all eight complete their installations, they are expected to cut around 131,500 kWh of electricity a year between them – about 17 tonnes of CO2e, every year, for as long as the equipment keeps running.
And at least one project is already finished. Bladon CE Primary School used the summer break to upgrade its lighting to LED under the loan scheme – an unglamorous change that quietly cuts electricity use for years afterwards, in a building where the lights are on for most of the school day.
“We Would Encourage Other Schools to Consider the Scheme”
St Swithun’s CE Primary School recently completed a solar PV installation through the same loan scheme. Their School Business Manager told us:
The project has also provided opportunities to engage pupils in discussions about renewable energy and sustainability, helping to bring these important topics to life within the curriculum.
We have been pleased with the outcome and would encourage other schools to consider the scheme.”
That last point matters as much as the savings. School budgets are tight, and money not spent on electricity is money that goes back into teaching. The panels on the roof also end up in the classroom – as something pupils can see, measure and ask questions about.
The Loan Scheme – and Why This Year Matters
Oxfordshire County Council’s Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme lends county-maintained schools money at zero interest to pay for solar panels, LED lighting upgrades and battery storage. The savings on energy bills go towards the repayments, which means schools can make the improvements without finding the capital up front.
The other thing worth knowing is that schools don’t have to work it out alone. The ACES team supports schools through the whole process from first enquiry to final installation — helping fill in the application forms, advising on which technology makes sense for a particular building, reviewing contractor quotes so schools know whether they’re getting a fair deal, and staying involved through delivery and afterwards to check the savings are actually materialising.
For a business manager already juggling a hundred other things, that hand-holding is often the difference between a good intention and a finished project.
Worried About Your Local School? Here's What You Can Do
If you’re a parent, a governor or just someone who walks past a school with a large, empty south-facing roof every morning, this is one of the more useful things you can do locally. Schools rarely turn down free help — but somebody has to raise it first, and it’s usually not on anyone’s to-do list until it is.
1. Have a word with the right person. The decision-maker is normally the school business manager, the headteacher, or a governor with responsibility for premises or finance. A short, friendly email is enough. You’re not asking them to commit to anything — just to look at a free assessment.
2. Send them the links. So they don’t have to go hunting: Interest-free energy efficiency loans for schools. Schools can also email the ACES team directly at ACES@caesl.co.uk.
3. Raise it where decisions get made. If you’re on the PTA or a governing body, put it on an agenda. A five-minute item is often all it takes.
4. Don’t wait. There are only a limited number of free assessments available, and they’re allocated as schools come forward.
The free assessments and the loan scheme are for county-maintained schools in Oxfordshire. If your child’s school is an academy, it won’t be eligible for these particular offers – but there’s still plenty of support available, which brings us to the next section.
Support for Every School, Whoever Runs It
Whatever type of school you’re connected to, there’s national support available. Let’s Go Zero supports schools, colleges and nurseries across England to lower their emissions and become better places to work, learn and play.
Settings that sign up get access to Climate Action Advisors, who work across every region of England. It’s free, and takes a member of the senior leadership team or a governor 2 minutes to do it. Advisors help schools understand where their emissions come from, build a climate action plan in line with the Department for Education’s guidance, and find grants for green projects that are relevant to your school. To date they’ve helped education settings secure over £2.7 million in funding.
And their support stretches beyond help with energy bills and emissions. Their expert advisors offer support across other areas, including waste, adapting your building to a changing climate, menu choices, procurement, water, active travel, nature, green skills and more.
Any school in Oxfordshire can Sign Up to Let’s Go Zero – and it works well alongside the ACES support described above, rather than instead of it.
The Bigger Picture
None of this transforms a school overnight. LED lighting and a solar array won’t make a Victorian school building warm in January, and a climate adaptation plan doesn’t stop the rain.
But six assessments, one adaptation plan, eight loan applications in progress and two completed installations is a real summer’s work – and the numbers behind them are not small. A fifth off the energy bill, year after year, is the kind of saving that shows up as staff hours and equipment rather than as a line in a spreadsheet.
If you think your local school should be on that list next summer, the best time to mention it is now.