Minister must act to reduce energy bills for schools [labour.ie]
- Published: 06 June 2010
Education Minister Mary Coughlan is failing to take any action to implement a simple idea that could save schools substantial sums of money.
For many schools, energy bills are the single biggest item of expense throughout the year, and any steps that could be taken to reduce these costs would be welcome. As a school principal, I am all too aware of the severe financial pressures that schools operate under.
Unfortunately, while electricity and gas bills can be substantial in the context of a school's budget, a school is nothing more than a small-scale customer as far as companies like ESB and Bord Gais are concerned, and as such they have little or no leverage when it comes to negotiating a better deal.
However, on an aggregate basis, the amount of energy that the school sector consumes is massive, and if this purchasing power could be pooled, it would mean that the Minister, or some central agency could negotiate with the producers and get better value for money for schools.
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