'Wear more clothes if it's cold,' schools told as energy bills rise
The EA suggests cost-saving measures as it warns school gas and electricity bills are set to rise.
'Wear more clothes if it's cold,' schools told as energy bills rise
Staff and pupils at schools across Northern Ireland have been told to "wear more clothes" when it is cold in a bid to reduce heating bills.
The Education Authority (EA) has instructed schools to cut heating and lighting "wherever possible".
It says school gas and electricity bills are expected to increase by about £8m by March 2027.
In a letter to school heads, the EA warned that rising costs will hit school energy bills.
Households across Northern Ireland are already feeling the effects of higher energy prices.
One factor behind the increase is the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran.
The EA letter to head teachers said that "recent geopolitical events are expected to have a substantial impact on energy costs across the Education Authority (EA) during the 2026/27 financial year".
It said total school gas bills were forecast to rise by 60% from £10.7m to £17m by March 2027.
At the same time, total school electricity bills are expected to climb by 5% from £23.8m to £25.1m by March 2027.
"Given the scale of the anticipated cost increases, we are asking all schools to review their energy usage and identify opportunities to reduce consumption wherever possible," the EA said.
Among the steps the authority has proposed are reducing heating use by an hour a day and turning off classroom lights to make use of natural daylight instead.
Staff and pupils have also been told to "wear more clothes" rather than increase the heating thermostat if it is cold.
However, principals have told BBC News NI that cutting heating costs is not simple for schools.
Kirsty Logan-Hall, principal of Tullygally Primary School in Craigavon, said the school was "committed to promoting responsible energy consumption and regularly reinforce good practice with staff and pupils".
"However, our ability to achieve significant reductions in energy usage is constrained by the nature of our estate," she said.
"The school operates from an older building which presents inherent energy efficiency challenges.
"In addition, our site is particularly spread out due to the accommodation and operational requirements associated with our specialist provision.
"This necessitates the heating, lighting and ongoing use of multiple areas across the site throughout the school day to ensure appropriate learning environments, accessibility and pupil welfare.
"It is important to recognise that there is limited scope for reducing energy consumption without adversely impacting the quality of provision, staff working conditions or the wellbeing of pupils, including those with additional needs."
Claire Robinson, principal of Holy Evangelists Primary School in Dunmurry, said energy costs were "ferocious".
"We can't play around with the heating," she said.
Some parts of the school are relatively new and have underfloor heating.
"Our classrooms can't drop below a certain temperature so we have to keep the heating on," Robinson said.
"We can't just turn the heating off in some areas of the school."
Robinson said that although the school was relatively new, it had been given an energy efficiency rating of D because of the costs involved in running the heating system.