What Gets Measured, Gets Managed
Why schools – alongside leisure centres – are one of the biggest untapped opportunities for measurable energy savings in local authority portfolios.
Where is the real opportunity across local authority estates?
Much of the conversation around energy management and performance in public sector estates has, understandably, focused on high-demand buildings such as leisure centres.
These environments, with their extended operating hours and energy-intensive systems, offer immediate and visible opportunities for savings. They remain a critical part of any decarbonisation strategy.
However, focusing solely on high-consumption assets risks overlooking a different kind of opportunity – one defined not by intensity, but by scale.
School estates, when viewed collectively, represent one of the most significant and underutilised opportunities within a local authority portfolio. Not because any single building is particularly energy-intensive, but because of the sheer number of sites, their relative consistency, and the predictability of how they are used.
This is a challenge that has already been recognised within academy trusts. In our blog The Sustainability Mandate – Understanding Your Duties Under the Academy Trust Handbook, we explored how education estates are increasingly being viewed not as individual buildings, but as interconnected portfolios requiring central oversight and strategic management.
The same principle applies here. When schools are managed as a system rather than as standalone sites, their potential for performance improvement increases dramatically.
Are schools really lacking data – or just insight?
At first glance, most school estates appear well-equipped from a data perspective.
They often include:
- Building Management Systems
- Half-hourly or smart metering
- Maintenance and compliance records
- Clearly defined occupancy schedules
Yet despite this, many organisations still struggle to answer relatively simple questions about performance:
- Which schools are using the most energy, and why?
- Where are systems running unnecessarily?
- Which buildings are underperforming compared to similar sites?
This disconnect reflects a wider issue within facilities management. As discussed in earlier content, the presence of technology does not guarantee better outcomes. Without accurate, structured and actively used data, even well-equipped estates can operate inefficiently .
In many cases, data exists – but it is not being translated into actionable insight.
Why are inefficiencies so common in school environments?
School buildings are, in theory, some of the most controllable environments within a public estate.
Their usage patterns are highly predictable. Term dates are known in advance, occupancy follows a consistent daily rhythm, and building layouts are often similar across sites.
And yet, inefficiencies remain widespread.
Heating systems frequently continue to operate during holiday periods. Ventilation systems are left running at full capacity regardless of actual occupancy. Manual overrides are applied to resolve short-term comfort issues but never reset.
These are not isolated issues – they are systemic.
In our work with academy trusts, explored further in our carbon reduction strategy for trusts, we’ve seen how decentralised responsibility can lead to inconsistent system use, limited oversight, and missed opportunities for optimisation.
Without structured energy management and a central view of performance, predictable school usage patterns still result in unnecessary waste.
What is the real cost of not measuring properly?
When energy performance is not actively monitored, inefficiency becomes embedded in day-to-day operations.
This has a direct financial impact. Energy waste is not just a carbon issue – it is a cost issue. The same inefficiencies that increase emissions also drive up operational expenditure.
In school environments, this might not always be immediately visible. A single building running inefficiently may not raise concern. But when multiplied across an entire estate, the impact becomes significant.
What is often missing is the ability to connect energy use with operational behaviour. Without that link, inefficiency remains hidden – and therefore unaddressed.
What does good energy management actually look like in schools?
Effective energy management in school estates is not about introducing entirely new systems. In most cases, it is about making better use of what is already in place.
It begins with aligning system operation to real-world usage. Heating and ventilation should respond to term dates, school hours, and actual occupancy – not static schedules set years earlier.
It also requires visibility. When performance data is brought together across multiple schools, patterns begin to emerge. Some buildings will consistently use more energy than others, even when they are broadly similar. These outliers provide a clear starting point for investigation and improvement.
In academy trust environments, this kind of central visibility has become increasingly important. As outlined in the Academy Trust Handbook 2025, estates teams are moving towards more structured, data-led approaches that allow them to manage multiple sites as a cohesive portfolio rather than a collection of individual buildings.
The same approach can be applied across local authority estates.
How can schools unlock wider estate performance?
One of the most compelling reasons to focus on school estates is their ability to act as a foundation for broader optimisation.
Unlike more complex or bespoke buildings, schools provide a level of consistency that makes them ideal for testing and refining energy management strategies. Improvements can be implemented, measured, and then rolled out across similar sites with confidence.
This aligns with the staged approach to energy transition discussed earlier in our series. Rather than attempting to transform an entire estate at once, organisations can begin with a clearly defined subset of buildings, demonstrate results, and then scale.
While leisure centres may offer high-impact savings at individual sites, schools offer something different: the ability to generate repeatable, scalable improvements across the portfolio.
Is your BMS actually in control?
At the centre of any school energy management strategy should sit the Building Management System.
In many school estates, BMS is already installed. But installation alone is not enough.
Over time, systems drift. Settings are adjusted, overrides are applied, and original configurations become misaligned with how buildings are actually used. Without regular review and optimisation, the BMS gradually loses its effectiveness.
We explored earlier that control is fundamental to performance. When systems are properly configured and actively managed, they enable buildings to operate in line with demand. When they are not, inefficiency becomes the default.
Why does reporting so often fail to drive action?
Many organisations already produce energy management reports. The issue is that these reports often exist in isolation from decision-making.
They are created to satisfy compliance requirements, reviewed periodically, and then filed away.
What is missing is a clear link between reporting and action.
For reporting to be effective, it must:
- Highlight anomalies
- Provide context
- Lead directly to intervention
Without this, data remains descriptive rather than actionable.
This is where many estates fall short – not in measurement itself, but in how that measurement is used.
What role do schools play in long-term sustainability?
Schools are not just a short-term opportunity for energy savings. They are a long-term enabler of better estate management.
By embedding measurement and monitoring into school operations, organisations can begin to build a more proactive, data-led approach to facilities management.
This supports not only energy reduction, but also improved asset performance, reduced maintenance risk, and more predictable operational costs.
As explored in our earlier work on long-term value, the real benefit of sustainability comes from its cumulative effect over time. Each improvement builds on the last, creating a more efficient, resilient estate.
Schools provide a structured and scalable environment in which to begin that process.
Start with what you already have
For many local authorities, the foundations are already in place.
The systems exist. The data is being collected. The opportunity lies in making better use of both.
By focusing on school estates – alongside high-impact buildings like leisure centres – organisations can begin to unlock meaningful improvements without the need for immediate large-scale investment.
Because ultimately, the principle remains the same:
what gets measured, gets managed – and what gets managed, improves.
If you’re already collecting data across your school estate, the next step is not more technology – it’s better visibility.
Understanding how your buildings are performing today is the first step towards improving how they perform tomorrow.
For many local authorities and academy trusts, the opportunity is not about starting from scratch. The systems, data and infrastructure are often already there. The challenge is bringing that information together in a way that supports clearer decision-making, identifies inefficiencies, and creates a more consistent approach to energy performance across multiple sites.
Whether it’s reviewing BMS operation, improving monitoring and reporting, benchmarking performance across schools, or identifying quick-win optimisation opportunities, a more structured approach to measurement can unlock significant operational and financial benefits.
If you’d like to discuss how your school estate is currently performing—or explore where opportunities for improvement may exist—contact DMA Group to speak with our energy and sustainability team.
We can help you:
- Review existing building and energy data
- Identify inefficiencies across your estate
- Improve visibility and reporting
- Support long-term energy management and decarbonisation strategies
Because better decisions start with better insight.
