The importance of sustainability in education is growing, with the Department for Education (DfE) setting a clear framework to help schools, colleges and multi-academy trusts (MATs) address climate change. A key initiative of the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy requires all education settings to appoint a sustainability lead and implement a climate action plan this year.
This initiative is a critical step towards embedding sustainable practices and fostering environmental responsibility within educational institutions. To help your MAT meet these requirements and unlock additional benefits like cost savings to ease the current budget squeeze, McGrady Clarke’s energy and carbon experts provide expert guidance and technical support.
Specialising in sustainability and climate action, McGrady Clarke offers a range of services to align your MAT with the DfE’s requirements. These include decarbonisation action planning to reduce carbon footprints and mandatory compliance reporting such as SECR and renewable energy solutions such as solar PV and Power Purchase Agreements.
Climate Action Plans for multi-academy trusts
The DfE has announced that by 2025, all education settings must appoint a sustainability lead and implement a Climate Action Plan (CAP), as outlined in the Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy paper. With buildings that vary in age, design, heating, lighting systems and insulation levels, planning the decarbonisation of school estates presents a demanding challenge to the leadership of MATs.
Although mandatory, and potentially human resource-intensive in their formulation and implementation, Climate Action Plans can have a positive effect on a multi-academy trust’s cost base – improving operational efficiency and building resilience to future challenges. McGrady Clarke provides real-world solutions created by experts to relieve the pressures from MAT staff and deliver Climate Action Plans that include forecasted returns of investments and ease budgetary pressures for schools.
Climate Action Plans provide a structured framework, including assessing current carbon emissions, setting reduction targets and identifying the energy efficiency measures necessary to achieve them.
Expert advice on Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) for multi-academy trusts
By effectively monitoring energy usage, academies and trusts can unlock long-term cost savings and significantly reduce carbon emissions, contributing to a more sustainable future. Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is a mandatory requirement for large organisations meeting specific criteria, delivering both economic and environmental benefits.
Achieving compliance with SECR demands a thorough technical understanding of carbon accounting and data analysis. Academies and trusts that meet the thresholds must publish their annual UK energy use and associated greenhouse gas equivalent emissions (CO2e). Additionally, they must report an emissions intensity ratio (e.g., emissions per pupil), outline methodologies used and detail the measures taken to improve energy efficiency during the reporting period.
Optimising energy efficiency across multiple schools: a smart approach for multi-academy trusts
With the ongoing budget squeeze, and growing pressure on schools and trusts to reduce their environmental impact, managing energy usage and the associated costs across multiple sites is a challenge. This is especially true where the school’s estate is made up of a variety of building However, a multi-site Energy Management Service will streamline this process, providing centralised control over energy consumption and significant savings on admin and costs potentially releasing at least some budgetary pressure on multi-academy trusts (MATs) finances.
Effective energy management requires monitoring energy use across all sites, implementing strategies to reduce consumption, and identifying opportunities for cost and carbon savings. McGrady Clarke’s expert energy analysts will partner with your MAT Sustainability Lead to provide tailored services that help optimise energy use across multiple locations, improve operational efficiency and achieve long-term sustainability. Mandatory reporting of energy use and carbon emissions such as Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) and Climate Action Plan formulation are less admin-intensive exercises with McGrady Clarkes cloud-based energy and carbon data interface.
From renewables to other services such as energy auditing and energy management through advanced multi-site ‘real-time’ monitoring, we are here to support your journey towards long-term sustainability.
Contact our experts today and position your MAT as a sustainability leader while reducing operational costs and contributing to a Net Zero future.
Share this article:
