Over 1,000 schools have already signed up to the Department for Education (DfE) Energy for Schools Service. If your energy contract is up for renewal, joining is simple. Our DfE Energy Team are here to help.
Here's what you need to know.
It’s already working for schools like yoursSchools across England are already benefiting from the DfE Energy for Schools Service and joining is simple. You give us the basic details, and our Energy team does the rest.
You'll get access to the same energy contract used by the DfE and all other government departments. That means government-level pricing without the hassle of negotiating them yourself.
Why energy buying is hard for schoolsEnergy is one of the trickiest things a school has to buy. Prices change every day. Contracts are hard to compare. And if your contract runs out without a new one in place, you could be moved onto a much higher "deemed rate” – meaning bigger bills.
Schools tell us the same challenges keep coming up. It's hard to know if you're getting a good deal. And making quick decisions on complex contracts puts real pressure on already stretched finance teams.
The DfE Energy for Schools Service was set up to resolve exactly these problems.
Why our contract makes sense right nowThere are very few good fixed-price energy deals available at the moment. Locking in at a high fixed rate can cost you more for years - as many schools found in 2022 when bills more than doubled.
Our service uses a longer-term variable-rate contract to protect schools from market volatility. Energy is bought in blocks over time, which helps smooth out sudden price spikes and your costs more stable and predictable, without the risks that short-term fixed deals carry.
Register by 15 September 2026, and you will be added to the April 2027 contract.
What schools are savingThe numbers from schools on the service speak for themselves.
All Saints' Trust, a seven-school multi-academy trust in London, saved £78,541 in one year. That money funded new computers for one of their schools — something their Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Ann Briffa says simply wouldn't have been possible otherwise.
Our team handled the legwork, explaining options clearly, and helping to resolve problems before Ann even needed to ask. Five of the trust's seven schools moved across without adding to already stretched workloads.
When asked if she'd recommend the service, Ann said: "Absolutely. I have had brilliant support from the DfE Energy team. I rate them 10 out of 10."
All Saints Trust isn’t unusual. Our benchmarking report shows that a typical primary school could save around £2,500 on electricity and £2,400 on gas each year – that’s a potential combined saving of early £5,000. For secondary schools, those figures rise to around £12,600 on electricity and £10,600 on gas.*
For gas in particular, primary schools saved around a quarter of what they were paying their previous supplier and secondary schools saved nearly as much.*
Less admin, more time for what mattersAsset Education, a 16-school primary trust in Suffolk, used to spend hours chasing energy suppliers for basic answers. After joining the service, that changed.
Their CFO Chris Heath told us: "We gave the DfE Energy Team the bare bones of information and the team sorted out the rest. That saved us a lot of time, and we had the confidence it was done right. Now we've got the DfE team as backup."
For Chris, it comes down to three things: good value, confidence it's compliant, and reliable support when dealing with energy companies.
Is your contract up for renewal in the next 12 months?If it is, act now. Switching can take up to two months, so don’t wait until your contract runs out.
If you register by 15 September 2026, you will be added to the service’s variable-rate contract from April 2027.
Not sure yet? We offer a free benchmarking exercise that shows you what you could save – with no commitment to join.
If the service is not right for you, we can point you towards other comparable public sector buying options - Get Help Buying for Schools – Energy
Get in touch todayEmail us at DFE-Energy.SERVICES-TEAM@education.gov.uk if you require any further information.
The sooner you contact us, the more options you'll have - and the more money could stay where it belongs: in your school.
Want to find out more?Join our free webinar – “Energy for Schools: A new way to buy energy for your school or trust” on Monday 22 June from 11 to 11:30am.
*These are median figures, so roughly half of benchmarked schools saved more than this. Every school's situation is different, which is why we offer a free, no-commitment benchmarking exercise to show what you specifically could save. Read the full benchmarking report.
seen at 16:32, 15 June in Buying for Schools.