• Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Climate Change Dispatch
  • Home
  • Videos
  • Who We Are
  • Facts Vs. Fearmongering
    • Real science vs Junk Science
      • 1100-plus Peer-Reviewed Studies
      • 97% – Myth of the Climate Change Consensus
      • Michael Crichton: Aliens Cause Global Warming
      • Climate change and its causes
      • Climate Science Primer
      • CO2 is not pollution
      • Deceptive Surface Temperature Records
      • Editorial: Great Global Warming Hoax
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 1
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 2
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 3
      • Why CO2 Is A Minor Player In Global Climate
      • Why Politicized Science Is So Dangerous
    • Facts Not Fear
      • A Simple Question For Climate Alarmists
      • Climate Change – The Facts
      • Climate Change Fears Are Empirically Baseless
      • Global Warming 101
      • Global Warming Q&A
      • Understanding The Medieval Warm Period
      • Ocean Cycles and Climate
      • Overview of Plate Climatology Theory
      • Precautionary Principle
      • Should We Celebrate Carbon Dioxide?
      • The Skeptics Handbook
      • Weather Versus Climate
      • Why I’m a GW skeptic
      • Winning the climate debate with facts
      • Why Aliens Cause Global Warming
    • Greenhouse FAQs
      • CO2, Plants, & Industry
      • How much have temps changed?
      • How much have temps changed?
      • How much have temps changed?
      • Is global warming real?
      • Measuring temperature
      • Swimming in CO2?
      • Scientists urge caution?
      • Today’s warming trend
      • Variations in temperature
    • Gore’s Greatest Goofs
      • Deconstructing the Truth
      • Fact-Checking Al Gore’s Latest Predictions
      • How Gore Created The Global Warming Hoax
    • Inside Real Climate
      • Closer look at the 97% Consensus
      • GW’s Amazing Story
      • IPCC gets failing grade
      • Real Climate Exposed!
      • Truth about Real Climate
      • We’ve Been Conned
      • What is there a 97% consensus about?
    • Behind the IPCC
      • 1,000 Scientists Dissent
      • Climategate: Caught Green-Handed!
      • Climategate Inquiries
      • Climategate Inquiries 2
      • NIPCC Report Now Available
      • Understanding the Climategate Inquiries
  • Submissions
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Videos
  • Who We Are
  • Facts Vs. Fearmongering
    • Real science vs Junk Science
      • 1100-plus Peer-Reviewed Studies
      • 97% – Myth of the Climate Change Consensus
      • Michael Crichton: Aliens Cause Global Warming
      • Climate change and its causes
      • Climate Science Primer
      • CO2 is not pollution
      • Deceptive Surface Temperature Records
      • Editorial: Great Global Warming Hoax
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 1
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 2
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 3
      • Why CO2 Is A Minor Player In Global Climate
      • Why Politicized Science Is So Dangerous
    • Facts Not Fear
      • A Simple Question For Climate Alarmists
      • Climate Change – The Facts
      • Climate Change Fears Are Empirically Baseless
      • Global Warming 101
      • Global Warming Q&A
      • Understanding The Medieval Warm Period
      • Ocean Cycles and Climate
      • Overview of Plate Climatology Theory
      • Precautionary Principle
      • Should We Celebrate Carbon Dioxide?
      • The Skeptics Handbook
      • Weather Versus Climate
      • Why I’m a GW skeptic
      • Winning the climate debate with facts
      • Why Aliens Cause Global Warming
    • Greenhouse FAQs
      • CO2, Plants, & Industry
      • How much have temps changed?
      • How much have temps changed?
      • How much have temps changed?
      • Is global warming real?
      • Measuring temperature
      • Swimming in CO2?
      • Scientists urge caution?
      • Today’s warming trend
      • Variations in temperature
    • Gore’s Greatest Goofs
      • Deconstructing the Truth
      • Fact-Checking Al Gore’s Latest Predictions
      • How Gore Created The Global Warming Hoax
    • Inside Real Climate
      • Closer look at the 97% Consensus
      • GW’s Amazing Story
      • IPCC gets failing grade
      • Real Climate Exposed!
      • Truth about Real Climate
      • We’ve Been Conned
      • What is there a 97% consensus about?
    • Behind the IPCC
      • 1,000 Scientists Dissent
      • Climategate: Caught Green-Handed!
      • Climategate Inquiries
      • Climategate Inquiries 2
      • NIPCC Report Now Available
      • Understanding the Climategate Inquiries
  • Submissions
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Climate Change Dispatch
No Result
View All Result

500% Energy Price Hikes Plunge UK Schools Into Winter Calamity

by Tom Belger
September 06, 2022, 7:06 PM
in News and Opinion
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
3
Share on FacebookShare on XwitterShare on Linkedin

Skyrocketing prices force school leaders into ‘unpalatable’ choices to keep classrooms open this winter.

School leaders face “apocalyptic” energy price hikes of up to 587 percent, warning of cuts to jobs, books, and building work to fill budget black holes.

Others say heating will be turned down and class sizes raised without adequate government aid, as schools embark on energy-saving drives and accelerate net-zero investments. [Links and some bold added]

Schools Week analysis suggests energy will cost trusts hundreds of millions more this autumn and winter than two years ago, with some now unable to find deals at all.

Emma Knights, chief executive of the National Governance Association, said new prime minister Liz Truss and the next education secretary must hand schools a lifeline with “urgency”.

Bills rise sixfold

A recent acceleration in already fast-rising prices leaves many schools in an “apocalyptic situation”, according to Leigh Academies Trust chief executive Simon Beamish.

Energy consultants estimate around two-thirds of schools renew each year. More than 350 renewed through one broker, Zenergi, in August alone.

In January, its clients’ average bills doubled on new deals. But by August – after Russia’s Ukraine invasion – they had soared 274 percent for electricity and 499 percent for gas.

Leigh Academies Trust expects an £8.7 million rise across 31 schools – up 514 percent, and that could escalate at any time. It is on a variable tariff, with many suppliers ditching fixed deals altogether.

“How do you budget when you don’t know month-to-month costs?” asked Beamish.

Woodbridge High School in London was quoted as an eye-watering 587 percent rise for gas.

John Haw, managing director of Fidelity Energy, said clients have “gone white” when shown projected costs, with record demand for brokers’ help.

Schools Week analysis suggests trusts’ combined energy bills for autumn and winter likely more than trebled on 2020-21 levels – up more than £400 million across 10,000 academies.

With around 12,000 schools still maintained, the whole sector’s extra costs will be far higher.

Deficits and austerity 2.0

Many schools now predict deficits, according to heads’ union NAHT.

Energy bills, unfunded pay deals, and wider inflation – all higher than expected months ago – are forcing leaders to tear up budgets. Several calls for plugging shortfalls are “impossible”.

At The Elliot Foundation, energy will cost £1.4 million and wages £1 million more than expected, trebling its deficit to £3.4 million.

Stuart Gardner, CEO of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, said quadrupling electricity bills and other increases leave a £3.2 million black hole – £1 in every £25 spent.

Coventry cabinet member Richard Brown has similarly warned of a “real challenge” balancing its books amid rising costs, with education £700,000 more than planned.

Leaders have gone white when shown projected costs

Without urgent grants or price caps, leaders warn austerity is back.

“Spiralling energy costs will inevitably lead to resource and staffing cuts unless schools are given additional support,” said Dr. Karen Roberts, CEO of The Kemnal Academies Trust.

Aylsham Learning Federation executive head Duncan Spalding has said it could only save enough through “large-scale redundancies, a diminished curriculum [and] stopping vital maintenance work” – which would “eviscerate our provision”.

Lee Mason-Ellis, CEO of The Pioneer Academy Trust, said that before long its schools “won’t be financially viable without significantly reducing staffing, visits, and resources”.

The NAHT says teaching assistants’ hours could face cuts nationwide.

On Monday, parents across the Saffron Academy Trust received a letter warning of not only job cuts but also bigger classes and asking parents to fund resources.

Meanwhile, Caroline Barlow, head of Heathfield Community College in East Sussex, said trips, clubs, music classes, and reading books could prove “collateral damage of universal belt-tightening”.

Some schools are shelving capital projects. David Collins, head of the Knole Academy in Kent, said new playground and astroturf facilities were “off the table”.

‘Unpalatable’: Turning down heating

Many leaders’ priority is radically curbing consumption.

“If it’s a choice between switching off lights and turning down heating or paying teachers, it’s not a difficult one,” said Hugh Greenway, The Elliot Foundation CEO.

“There’s no reason lights need to be on at 5 am or computers left on overnight.”

His trust will share usage data with pupils and parents, building support for “changing behaviors”.

Chris Felgate, director of consultancy Ginger Energy, reports “mass installations” of solar panels among school clients, as well as LED lights and efficient boilers.

Former government adviser Jonathan Simons recently called for £2.5 billion in solar panel grants for schools, highlighting an opportunity for “progress on net zero”.

Soaring energy costs mean “payback periods” for the panels have dramatically reduced.

But while Mason-Ellis said accelerating The Pioneer Academy’s long-standing green drive-through measures like insulation could shave a fifth off consumption, it will “not significantly dent” extra costs.

Collins agreed, with Knole Academy’s existing solar panels only contributing one-twentieth of its electricity.

John Winter, CEO of the Weydon Multi Academy Trust, and Caroline Derbyshire, CEO of the Saffron Academy Trust, fear more “unpalatable” decisions.

“Limiting the use of heating during the winter” is an option for Derbyshire.

Winter has not ruled out “sticking kids in body warmers” to cut heating bills or even reducing time in school. “Everything is on the table – we can’t afford to be able to pay teachers.”

Felgate said clients were considering clamping down on teachers’ fan heaters, and even closing pools, flood-lit sports pitches, or underused classroom blocks.

Sector not ‘awash with cash’

Most trust leaders interviewed by Schools Week expect to use reserves, preventing immediate redundancies.

Savings during Covid lockdowns pushed academy surpluses to £3.96 billion last year. This is enough to pay off combined deficits of £22 million in the sector 178 times over. Maintained schools saw similar record improvements, with a net £2 billion surplus in 2020-21.

While schools may appear “awash with cash” to the Treasury, reserves are “not universal and will run out pretty quickly,” said Stephen Morales, chief executive of the Institute of School Business Leadership.

The DfE has resisted funding pleas for months. A spokesperson said schools received £4 billion more this year and wide-ranging value-for-money support.

But unfunded hikes in other costs, such as teacher pay, have wiped this out. The Institute for Fiscal Studies recently said the government will no longer meet its promise to restore school budgets to 2010 levels.

Read rest here Schoolsweek

  • Truth
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Gettr
  • Threads
  • gab-logo Gab
  • Mastodon
  • Buffer
  • Telegram
  • Email
  • Copy Link
  • Share Using More Networks…
Share via
  • Facebook
  • Like
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg
  • Tumblr
  • VKontakte
  • Print
  • Email
  • Reddit
  • Buffer
  • Love This
  • Weibo
  • Pocket
  • Xing
  • Odnoklassniki
  • WhatsApp
  • Meneame
  • Blogger
  • Amazon
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Gmail
  • AOL
  • Newsvine
  • HackerNews
  • Evernote
  • MySpace
  • Mail.ru
  • Viadeo
  • Line
  • Flipboard
  • Comments
  • SMS
  • Viber
  • Telegram
  • Subscribe
  • Skype
  • Facebook Messenger
  • Kakao
  • LiveJournal
  • Yammer
  • Edgar
  • Fintel
  • Mix
  • Instapaper
  • Copy Link
  • Truth
  • gab-logo Gab
  • Gettr
  • Baidu
  • Mastodon
  • Threads
  • Bluesky

Join our list

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

Related Posts

Extreme Weather

Carney To Stoke Wildfire Fears At G7, Blame Climate Change for Gov’t Failures

May 30, 2025
Extreme Weather

Forbes Pushes Climate Panic In 2025 Weather Report, But Data Disagrees

May 30, 2025
Extreme Weather

Hawaii Slaps Tourists With Nation’s First Climate Change Tax

May 30, 2025

Comments 3

  1. Spurwing Plover says:
    3 years ago

    Green Energy only worlds when the wind is blowing and sun is shinning

  2. David Lewis says:
    3 years ago

    I assume the solutions to the high cost of energy will include cold class rooms in the winter and hot classes in warm weather. Studies as far back as the 1960’s have consistently shown that classroom participation dramatically drops when it is too cold or too warm. Add this to the impact of cutting personnel and other resources, and learning will be adversely impacted.

  3. Steve Bunten says:
    3 years ago

    Gosh, and I thought “Green Energy” was going to make cost of electricity to drop! What happened?

    Maybe now there citizens will rise up and demand that the government gets fossil fuel plants back up ands running ands get rid of unreliable wind ands solar.

Stay Connected On Social Media

gab-logo

Donate Today

Beating back the alarmist narrative takes time and money. Please donate today to help!

Recent Posts

  • mark carneyCarney To Stoke Wildfire Fears At G7, Blame Climate Change for Gov’t Failures
    May 30, 2025
    PM Carney plans to push fire fears at the G7 despite critics slamming the government's negligence and park mismanagement, then scapegoating climate change. […]
  • storm severe weatherForbes Pushes Climate Panic In 2025 Weather Report, But Data Disagrees
    May 30, 2025
    Forbes claims extreme weather is worsening due to climate change, but real-world data tells a very different story. […]
  • hawaii beach hotelHawaii Slaps Tourists With Nation’s First Climate Change Tax
    May 30, 2025
    Hawaii Governor Josh Green signs first U.S. climate change tax into law, targeting tourists with new green fee. […]
  • Justice KavanaughSupreme Court Limits NEPA Reviews, Potentially Fast-Tracking Energy Projects
    May 30, 2025
    The Supreme Court reduced the scope of environmental reviews, clearing the way for faster oil, gas, and infrastructure project approvals under NEPA. […]
  • solar panel installationTrump DOE Kills $3B Biden-Era Green Loan To Embattled Solar Firm
    May 29, 2025
    Trump DOE cancels $3B Biden-era loan to solar firm accused of exploiting elderly, raising new questions about green energy funding oversight. […]
  • nice france beach10,000 Elites Jet To French Riviera For Latest UN ‘Climate Emergency’ Summit
    May 29, 2025
    Over 10,000 climate delegates jet to the French Riviera as UN organizers seek $100B in pledges at the third Ocean Conference to fight planetary doom. […]
  • Grok smartphoneGrok Breaks Ranks, Presents More Balanced View On Climate Change Than Other AIs
    May 29, 2025
    Elon Musk’s Grok challenges climate orthodoxy, highlighting skeptical views, failed predictions, and real data from NASA and NOAA. […]
  • bike lane traffic BostonWar On Cars Revs Up As Activists Target Driving In The Name Of Climate
    May 29, 2025
    Lawmakers push mileage limits, EV mandates, and anti-car policies in a growing war on driving disguised as climate action. […]
  • Biden signs executive orderReport: Biden Likely Unaware Of Harmful Climate Policies His Admin Churned Out
    May 28, 2025
    Who’s really behind Biden’s energy agenda? Major executive orders reshaping U.S. policy were never publicly addressed by the president himself. […]
  • Biden visits GM EV plantGM Dumps EV Plan, Pours $888M Into V8 Engines After Biden Mandates Scrapped
    May 28, 2025
    GM pivots NY plant from EV parts to V8 engines as GOP, Trump EPA dismantle Biden’s electric vehicle push and California’s EV mandate. […]

Get Instant Email Notifications

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email either instantly or daily. Check your Junk folder for any verification emails upon subscribing.

Submit a tip

Please enter your email, so we know you're human.

Books We Like

very convenient warming

exposing great lie

Have a suggestion? Let us know! We swap out books based on your input. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. See here.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

© Portions copyright Climate Change Dispatch

Share via
  • Threads
  • gab-logo Gab
  • Mastodon
  • Buffer
  • Telegram
  • Email
  • Copy Link
  • Share Using More Networks…
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Videos
  • Who We Are
  • Facts Vs. Fearmongering
    • Real science vs Junk Science
      • 1100-plus Peer-Reviewed Studies
      • 97% – Myth of the Climate Change Consensus
      • Michael Crichton: Aliens Cause Global Warming
      • Climate change and its causes
      • Climate Science Primer
      • CO2 is not pollution
      • Deceptive Surface Temperature Records
      • Editorial: Great Global Warming Hoax
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 1
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 2
      • Rules for Climate Radicals: Part 3
      • Why CO2 Is A Minor Player In Global Climate
      • Why Politicized Science Is So Dangerous
    • Facts Not Fear
      • A Simple Question For Climate Alarmists
      • Climate Change – The Facts
      • Climate Change Fears Are Empirically Baseless
      • Global Warming 101
      • Global Warming Q&A
      • Understanding The Medieval Warm Period
      • Ocean Cycles and Climate
      • Overview of Plate Climatology Theory
      • Precautionary Principle
      • Should We Celebrate Carbon Dioxide?
      • The Skeptics Handbook
      • Weather Versus Climate
      • Why I’m a GW skeptic
      • Winning the climate debate with facts
      • Why Aliens Cause Global Warming
    • Greenhouse FAQs
      • CO2, Plants, & Industry
      • How much have temps changed?
      • How much have temps changed?
      • How much have temps changed?
      • Is global warming real?
      • Measuring temperature
      • Swimming in CO2?
      • Scientists urge caution?
      • Today’s warming trend
      • Variations in temperature
    • Gore’s Greatest Goofs
      • Deconstructing the Truth
      • Fact-Checking Al Gore’s Latest Predictions
      • How Gore Created The Global Warming Hoax
    • Inside Real Climate
      • Closer look at the 97% Consensus
      • GW’s Amazing Story
      • IPCC gets failing grade
      • Real Climate Exposed!
      • Truth about Real Climate
      • We’ve Been Conned
      • What is there a 97% consensus about?
    • Behind the IPCC
      • 1,000 Scientists Dissent
      • Climategate: Caught Green-Handed!
      • Climategate Inquiries
      • Climategate Inquiries 2
      • NIPCC Report Now Available
      • Understanding the Climategate Inquiries
  • Submissions
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Climate Change Dispatch