Educational institutions across Northern Ireland have received guidance to encourage staff and pupils to wear additional layers rather than increase heating, as the Education Authority (EA) confronts a projected £8m surge in energy costs by March 2027.
The EA has instructed school leaders to minimise heating and lighting consumption wherever feasible. The authority attributes the sharp rise partly to geopolitical tensions, with the letter to head teachers specifically citing "recent geopolitical events" including the US-Israel conflict with Iran as a substantial driver of energy price increases across the sector during the 2026/27 financial year.
Gas bills alone are forecast to climb 60%, jumping from £10.7m to £17m, while electricity costs are expected to rise 5% from £23.8m to £25.1m by the end of March 2027. The scale of these increases has prompted the EA to request all schools review their energy usage and identify reduction opportunities.
What measures are schools being asked to implement?
The EA has suggested several practical steps, including reducing heating operation by one hour daily and switching off classroom lights to maximise natural daylight. Staff and pupils have also been advised to "wear more clothes" rather than adjusting thermostats upward during cold periods.
However, school principals have raised significant concerns about the feasibility of these measures. According to UK government guidance, schools must maintain minimum temperatures of 18°C in normally active areas such as classrooms, 21°C for inactive or sick occupants, and 15°C in other teaching spaces and circulation areas. The guidance also notes that reducing building temperature by 1°C can save 5–10% of annual heating costs.
Kirsty Logan-Hall, principal of Tullygally Primary School in Craigavon, explained that her school remains "committed to promoting responsible energy consumption and regularly reinforce good practice with staff and pupils". However, she stressed that "our ability to achieve significant reductions in energy usage is constrained by the nature of our estate."
The school operates from an older building presenting "inherent energy efficiency challenges," and its spread-out site requires heating, lighting and ongoing use of multiple areas throughout the school day to ensure appropriate learning environments, accessibility and pupil welfare.
It is important to recognise that there is limited scope for reducing energy consumption without adversely impacting the quality of provision, staff working conditions or the wellbeing of pupils, including those with additional needs.
Claire Robinson, principal of Holy Evangelists Primary School in Dunmurry, described energy costs as "ferocious" and emphasised the practical constraints of her building. Although the school is relatively new with underfloor heating, it has been assigned an energy efficiency rating of D due to the costs of running the heating system.
We can't just turn the heating off in some areas of the school.She noted that classrooms cannot drop below a certain temperature, requiring the heating to remain operational continuously.
What is the broader financial context?
The energy cost crisis represents one element of a wider financial squeeze affecting Northern Ireland's education system. On 6 October, the Education Authority instructed schools to reduce non-essential spending and avoid new commitments, citing a net projected budget pressure of approximately £143m after identifying £30m in savings and efficiencies, according to reporting on the authority's budget announcement.
This is not the first time Northern Ireland's schools have faced energy-related challenges. In 2022, the EA warned that rising energy costs could disrupt schools over winter if room temperatures fell, at a time when its overall funding gap was estimated at £301.387m.
What longer-term solutions exist?
The EA's own energy guidance indicates that improving efficiency and increasing renewable energy use can reduce costs and greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the authority's quality energy and sustainability framework. However, implementing such upgrades requires capital investment that schools currently lack given their constrained budgets.
The tension between the EA's cost-cutting directives and the practical realities of maintaining safe, functional learning environments underscores the challenge facing Northern Ireland's education sector as energy prices remain elevated.
