5. Energy Management in Schools

Last updated: Mon, Sep 19th, 2016 2:07:30 pm

By managing energy use effectively schools can benefit from increased comfort levels, reduced costs and better environmental performance. It has been shown that just by behavioural changes schools can easily save up to 10% of their energy costs per annum. The Energy in Education programme offers a range of supports developed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills designed to help schools to improve energy management practices and save money. The website features short videos, fact sheets and case studies on specific areas that can be targeted along with a step by step approach on how to get started. Guidance on energy management and details of the range of supports is available at Energy in Education.

Statutory Obligation to Monitor and Report Energy Use Annually

All public sector bodies, including schools, have a statutory obligation to report annually on their energy usage directly to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). All schools were notified of this requirement in writing in December 2014 by the Department of Communications Energy& Natural Resources (DCENR).  SEAI and DCENR have developed an on-line energy Monitoring and Reporting (M&R) system to facilitate schools to report their energy use. As well as enabling schools to report and track energydata annually, the online system provides:

• A scorecard that presents a powerful snapshot of the school’s progress to date.

• Online access to annual electricity and natural gas consumption data.

• Option to share relevant data with the Office of Government Procurement’s energy procurement framework.

There is additional information on the reporting process available at SEAI/Public Sector Reporting.