Smart heating for schools: How Brambletye School achieved nearly 40% energy savings

Energy efficiency is becoming a top priority for schools looking to reduce carbon emissions and manage rising heating costs. With hybrid working patterns and increasing awareness of environmental responsibilities, traditional heating practices no longer meet modern demands.

Understanding the challenge

Brambletye School, a co-educational boarding and day school in the Sussex countryside, recognised a recurring issue: they were heating empty rooms, particularly during school holidays and out-of-hours periods. This unnecessary energy use was not only costly but also environmentally unsustainable.

They set out to find a solution that would give them greater control over their heating system—one that could adapt to changing occupancy patterns and help them manage energy smarter, especially outside of term time.

To address these challenges, Brambletye partnered with EcoSync to trial a room-by-room heating management system. The setup involved retrofitting devices that collect 32 data points every 5 minutes—monitoring air temperature, radiator valve position, and hot water flow temperature. This data creates a real-time view of energy use at the room level and feeds into EcoSync’s machine learning models to forecast heating needs based on actual occupancy.

If a room is empty, it doesn’t get heated. This turns vacant rooms into an opportunity for savings—both financial and environmental.

From October 2022 to January 2023, Brambletye saved 5.4 MWh of energy, equivalent to:

1.1 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided
The environmental benefit of 44 trees absorbing carbon for a year

Across the estate, this translated to a 39.7% reduction in energy usage.

Initial savings from just 39 installed devices prompted the school to roll out an additional 100 devices, covering two key sites on campus.

Engaging the whole school

QR codes placed in each room made energy usage data visible to staff and pupils. Everyone could see how their environment was being heated—and how small actions, like closing a window, could contribute to reducing waste.

This approach encouraged practical awareness and built a stronger sense of ownership around sustainability efforts.

Installation timeline and wider impact

September 2022: 39 devices installed at the pre-prep school
May 2023: 100 more devices commissioned for the main site (installation due October)

Brambletye’s rollout demonstrates how schools can expand smart heating controls in phases, achieving real impact without disrupting daily routines. The system is straightforward to implement and flexible enough to support broader site-wide upgrades over time.

Smarter systems, lower bills

EcoSync’s dashboard gives facilities teams full control over heating schedules and real-time monitoring. With centralised management and predictive modelling, energy waste is minimised, and heating is delivered only where and when needed.

The results at Brambletye highlight how schools can meet sustainability goals, reduce costs, and improve comfort through targeted upgrades—without the need for major infrastructure changes.