Funded by the DfE, Climate Ambassadors match volunteer climate experts with education settings.
Part of Let’s Go Zero, Climate Action Advisors are independent experts who offer free support for schools, colleges, and nurseries across England.
- 1. Get started
- 2. Gather information
- 3. Take action
- 4. Share your success
3. Take action
Now that you have your energy data, turn your insights into a plan.
Not every action will be relevant for you - pick the ones that offer the best return for your effort.
1. Decide your priorities
Don’t try to improve everything at once. Use your data to prioritise next steps. Questions to consider include:
- Can you see where energy is being wasted?
- Can you spot any quick fixes?
- What could save you money?
- What actions are within your control right now?
- What can you do in the short term, and what could be longer term goals?
Talk to the companies that provide your setting's energy about your sustainability goals. They can support you in a variety of ways.
Set some short-term goals, interventions and behaviour changes to reduce your energy consumption and increase the energy efficiency of your setting.
Educate your whole community on the importance of energy conservation and energy saving behaviours. This will provide your community with the awareness, desire, knowledge and ability to practice energy saving habits.
2. Confirm responsibilities
Next, you need to involve people who can have knowledge and insight into your building management and efficiency, energy contracts and suppliers.
This is often estates, finance and procurement roles.
Assess opportunities to install on-site renewable energy generation, such as solar panels or canopies, ground source heat pumps, biomass boilers, or small wind turbines.
Outline a strategy to renew or renegotiate contracts for your electricity and gas supply, with a focus on cost savings and sustainability. This plan typically includes steps such as assessing current energy usage and costs, researching renewable energy options and suppliers, soliciting bids or proposals from energy providers, evaluating contract terms and pricing structures, and negotiating favourable agreements.
Identify a suitable professional to assess your setting and identify opportunities to reduce your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The specialist will conduct their survey and then provide you with a detailed plan which sets out practical steps to lower your carbon footprint.
Identify when and how you will transition your setting's energy consumption to sustainable sources such as wind, solar, or hydroelectric power through the use of renewable energy tariffs.
3. Consider resources
If you don’t have time and money for everything, encouraging behaviour change can have a huge impact.
It’s about targeting the attitudes, behaviours and decisions taken by anyone in your setting who can influence energy performance. This includes people with direct, hands-on control of your equipment and systems, such as an estates or facilities manager.
Share our free 5-day energy action email course with relevant staff.
Tip: Even if your systems are technically efficient, the daily behaviours and habits of your setting’s community can lead to avoidable energy waste.
Organise educational sessions to increase your staff's understanding of energy usage, energy saving behaviours and efficiency measures. Give staff the knowledge to make informed decisions about energy usage.
Energy awareness training is an important step towards changing behaviours and getting buy-in, with the aim to conserve energy and reduce consumption across your setting.
Need more support?
Speak to experts at our sister projects for one-to-one, in person support on energy action.
What’s next?
Now, you should have what you need to pick actions that work for your setting, understand who to involve, and the resources you might need.
Next, track your progress!