Guide / Plan your independent-school purchase
Independent schools: an energy buying brief for bursars and governors
Build the purchase around your school's business model, energy use and governance. Boarding houses, pools, lettings and group ownership can change the questions that matter.
Begin with your own governance route
The academy-specific Handbook requirement is not a general rule for fee-funded private schools. Establish the contracting company, charity, proprietor or group entity and the authority delegated to the bursar. For charitable schools, trustees must make informed decisions in the charity's interests, manage conflicts and retain an appropriate record.
Independent status is not, by itself, an exemption from public procurement law. The contracting-authority test considers funding, public oversight and commercial operation. Where status is uncertain, obtain advice on the actual entity rather than relying on its name or charity registration. Keep England-specific governance guidance distinct from arrangements in other UK nations.
Map when and where energy is needed
Our recommendation is to create an operational map alongside the meter list. A teaching block, boarding house, pool, kitchen and commercial sports facility may have different seasonal demand. School holidays may reduce classroom use while residential courses or lettings keep other buildings busy.
Give suppliers or any appointed TPI a dated account of material changes expected during the proposed contract. Include pupil numbers where operationally relevant, altered room use, boarding, lettings, closures and additional sites. Where already planned works affect demand, record the supported consumption effect. Ask how the offer responds if use changes. Last year's usage alone may miss the energy the school will need.
| Estate feature | Question for the buying brief |
|---|---|
| Boarding and staff accommodation | Which meters serve residential and other uses, and how is use evidenced? |
| Pool and leisure facilities | What is the baseload, operating calendar and realistic reduction plan? |
| Holiday courses and lettings | Who controls consumption, pays bills and supplies activity forecasts? |
| Group ownership | Which entity signs, guarantees payment and bears site-change risk? |
| Solar or electrification | How do projected imports and demand differ from historic bills? |
Check tax by use and supply, not by school label
HMRC Notice 701/19, updated 28 October 2026, provides a temporary 0% VAT rate for qualifying electricity supplies in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027. It does not make all school electricity qualify or change gas treatment. Northern Ireland differs.
Charitable status alone does not establish non-business use. HMRC recognises pupil residential accommodation as a domestic-use category; mixed supplies require the applicable use assessment. Ask your tax adviser to confirm classification, apportionment, certificates and CCL treatment for each relevant supply. Recheck when activities or legislation change.
Set the commercial and service requirements together
Choose the duration and risk allocation alongside the school's financial plans. A longer commitment may reduce renewal workload but needs a credible view of future occupation and demand. Ask about site additions, disposals, acquisitions, changes of legal entity, credit requirements and security deposits before comparing prices.
We recommend appointing one accountable TPI with a defined service schedule. Agree who checks invoices, monitors unexpected consumption, manages disputes and reports to the bursar. Separate included work from additional consultancy or project fees. Challenge claims that the adviser covers the whole market or guarantees savings unless the evidence and qualifications support them.
Give the board a decision with an operating plan
Present full cost, contract conditions, downside risks and service commitments together. Explain the options considered and the reason the recommendation suits this school. Identify assumptions about pupil activity, commercial income and estate projects. A lower unit rate should not obscure an expensive commitment to energy the school expects to stop using.
Our recommendation is to finish with a twelve-month management plan: contract handover, first invoice validation, monthly exception review, termly consumption discussion and the next decision date. Where reductions are proposed, agree a baseline that accounts for occupancy, weather and operational change. Report the measured result separately from a price saving caused by changing suppliers. This makes energy management useful to both educational and commercial leadership. Guidance checked on 2 November 2026.