Ways to beat the price rises

Electricity and gas prices have risen by well over 100 per cent in recent months, so it is crucial that headteachers and bursars investigate methods of minimising the impact of utility costs on their budgets, writes Donald Maclean

People assume that utility bills are more or less accurate, but this is not necessarily so. From our experience, we estimate that over 50 per cent of business utility bills may be inaccurate or contain errors. The majority of schools will have small electricity supplies (under 100kW maximum demand), gas supplies and water meters. This means that, although you will receive monthly bills, they are likely to be based on estimated readings. Once every 12 months or so an actual meter reading is taken by the supplier and there is a reconciliation. Often this can produce a nasty surprise.

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