Reducing school energy costs with blinds

The Carbon Trust has estimated that UK schools spend £543 million annually on their heating systems. And the average primary school in the UK spends £31,000 each year on energy bills, according to the financial website  www.businesselectricityprices.org.uk/sectors/education/
This figure, it says, increases to £90,000 for secondary schools.

New, independent research by the University of Salford’s Energy House laboratory has proved that blinds and shutters can help save energy and keep buildings warm in winter.

Commissioned and funded by the British Blind and Shutter Association, the data shows that blinds and shutters can have a significant, positive impact on energy savings, reducing heat loss through windows by up to 33 per cent.

Many of our schools are designed with large areas of glass and as a result will need cooling with either fans or air-conditioning systems to keep them pleasant and comfortable. This unfortunately uses energy and costs money. Instead, we should look for ways of utilising passive cooling methods like installing solar shading.
High temperatures in classrooms have a negative effect on student performance. In a controlled Danish study, the performance of tasks was found to be better at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius compared with one of five degrees higher.

A significant amount of heat can be lost from a school building during the cold winter months especially through the windows as they tend to be the weak point in the building insulation. The low angle winter sun can help us maximise the heat gains and blinds play an important role in reducing the amount of heat lost. They can be raised to maximise the solar energy entering the building when the sun shines and closed after sunset insulating the building throughout the night. This means less heating will be required in the morning to get the building to a comfortable temperature and less money will be spent on the heating bills.

With the effective use of energy efficient blinds such as

• solar reflective vertical and roller blinds
• cellular pleated blinds
• cassette roller blinds

it is possible to stop sunlight in its tracks in summer and prevent heat loss during winter, therefore reducing energy costs in the summer for cooling and in the winter for heating.

With the rising concern for environmental sustainability, schools are increasingly recognising the importance of adopting energy-efficient practices, and window blinds prove to be a simple yet effective solution.

If you have a current or potential requirement concerning window blinds for your school, college or university and would like some advice or assistance then please call us on

0800 086 2883