Help us fund free Energy Sparks places for schools through Big Give
This week, Big Give will be doubling donations* to Energy Sparks through its Green Match Fund. Any money we raise will go towards providing free Energy Sparks places for schools.
As a charity, our vision is a sustainable future in which the school community is at the heart of measurable action to tackle climate change.
Our work focuses on helping schools reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills by providing them with clear and easy access to their energy use data alongside tailored analysis, recommendations and alerts. This takes the guesswork out of energy management, making it easy for schools to see and interpret their energy consumption in near real-time and to understand what action needs to be taken.
We also offer learning activities and teaching resources to help staff and pupils work together on saving energy. These resources are free for everyone to access; however, schools with an Energy Sparks account are able to take this a step further by recording their activities and looking at the impact this is having on their energy consumption. Energy Sparks schools are also able to take part in our competitions.
Why free places matter
Our latest Energy Efficiency Report shows that Energy Sparks schools saw a 10% average reduction in energy use in 2023-24. In the same period that translated to an average saving of £5,000 (7 tonnes CO2) for a primary school and 21,000 (26 tonnes CO2) for a secondary school.
That is a sizeable potential saving, but – despite this – it can be challenging for schools to fund their own Energy Sparks place when so many other needs are clamouring for their attention.
This is particularly true for smaller schools, where the potential monetary savings may be lower, or for schools in deprived areas that need to prioritise providing extra services and resources for their pupils.
That is where funded places come in.
Through Big Give, we are looking to provide up to 30 additional schools with free access to our services, allowing them to access a range of benefits that bring value to any school – large or small.
These include:
- Simplifying energy management – a smaller school means fewer staff with more diverse responsibilities. As a consequence, some smaller schools may not have a dedicated caretaker or estate manager. Energy Sparks makes it easy to understand what needs to be done to optimise gas and electricity use.
- Reducing carbon emissions and inspiring pupils – schools play an important part in communities, and as such can be important leaders in the fight against climate change. Energy Sparks allows schools to calculate their carbon emissions savings and demonstrate to their pupils that their actions really make a difference.
- Assisting with climate action plans – All schools are required by the DfE to have a climate action plan in place by 2025. Many school leaders have told us that they find Energy Sparks invaluable in understanding where they need to focus their attention and tracking progress against their climate action goals.
How are donations spent?
Schools that are signed up with Energy Sparks receive a range of support from our small team – from helping them get their meters and data set up correctly to training and bespoke advice. We are also continuously developing the Energy Sparks platform to meet the needs of our schools.
As a small charity we rely on grants and donations to support our important work, allowing us to provide our services for free to as many schools as possible.
In 2023/24, we were pleased to be able to provide free access to over 600 schools thanks to support from funders including OVO Foundation, Drax Foundation and Shoosmiths Foundation.
Through Big Give, we are hoping to support even more schools to cut their carbon footprint.
Please help us by donating if you can, and by sharing our campaign with your friends, family and colleagues.
* Big Give will match funding up to £10,000. Donations that exceed that will not be matched but will still go towards supporting free places for schools.
