Northern Ireland schools urged to wear extra layers as energy bills are forecast to rise

The Education Authority has urged schools in Northern Ireland to reduce heating and lighting wherever possible, advising staff and pupils to wear more clothes rather than turn up the thermostat when cold, BBC News NI reports [1].

The authority expects total school gas and electricity bills to rise by about £8m by March 2027. It forecasts that gas bills will increase from £10.7m to £17m and electricity bills from £23.8m to £25.1m. Those figures are projected totals, not increases expected at each school [1].

Suggested measures include using heating for an hour less each day and switching off classroom lights when daylight is available. Some headteachers say there is limited room to cut back. Kirsty Logan-Hall, principal of Tullygally Primary School in Craigavon, said its older building and spread-out site require several areas to be heated and lit throughout the school day. Emma Quinn of Rathcoole Primary said her school already turns off lights and that maintenance problems add to the pressure on schools [1].