Eco Schools
- Reduce Energy Costs
- Cut Carbon
- Inspire Future Generations
Butterfly Eco’s Eco Schools programme gives schools access to fully funded solar PV and LED lighting without upfront capital investment.
Through our trusted funding partners, schools reduce their energy costs immediately while supporting their sustainability objectives.
We manage the entire process, from the initial assessment and design through to funding, installation, monitoring and ongoing support.
But Eco Schools is about far more than reducing energy costs.
Our programme transforms a school’s energy improvements into a live educational resource, allowing students to engage with sustainability through real-world data and practical learning experiences.
Participating schools benefit from SolarFox display screens, school-specific sustainability dashboards, live solar-generation data for STEM lessons, student assemblies, classroom sessions and educational project walkthroughs.
By combining fully funded solar and LED lighting with meaningful educational engagement, Eco Schools helps schools lower operating costs, reduce CO₂ emissions and create inspiring learning opportunities for students.
Every school is different. Energy consumption, existing lighting, building suitability, ownership, budget constraints and procurement requirements all vary from site to site.
That’s why Butterfly Eco works with a panel of trusted funding partners to identify the most appropriate solar and LED lighting solution for each school.
Whether your priority is preserving capital, achieving immediate savings, retaining ownership of the equipment or removing operational responsibility, we will identify the right route forward.
All schools have access to a complete solar PV system designed, funded and installed with no upfront cost.
Because the arrangement does not involve a finance agreement or grant a property, roof or airspace lease, it does not require the DfE land-and-buildings lease application associated with many other funded solar schemes.
The solar system is fully funded, installed, monitored and maintained throughout the agreement at no cost to the school.
The school simply purchases the clean electricity generated by the system at an agreed rate below the cost of grid electricity, providing guaranteed energy-cost savings and an immediate reduction in CO₂ emissions.
Key benefits include:
Schools upgrade their existing lighting to modern, energy-efficient LED technology without upfront capital expenditure.
Butterfly Eco surveys the school’s existing lighting and designs a tailored replacement scheme focused on reducing electricity consumption, improving light quality and lowering ongoing maintenance requirements.
The lighting upgrade is funded and installed, allowing the school to benefit from immediate energy and carbon savings without using its capital budget.
Schools choose fully funded solar, fully funded LED lighting or combine both technologies to maximise their available savings.
Schools install solar PV and LED lighting through lease finance or a DfE-compliant operating lease, with no capital investment or upfront cost required.
The agreement is structured so that the guaranteed energy savings are always greater than the lease payments, making the project cash-positive from day one.
The school benefits immediately from lower energy costs and reduced CO₂ emissions while paying for the equipment from the savings it generates.
Where a school or trust has available capital reserves, School Condition Allocation or other approved capital funding, it may choose to purchase its solar PV or LED lighting outright.
Butterfly Eco provides the feasibility study, technical design and supporting business case required to assess this option alongside our fully funded and lease-finance routes.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Our team reviews your school’s energy consumption, existing lighting, building suitability, ownership structure and financial objectives before recommending the most appropriate route.
The result is a tailored solar and lighting solution designed to deliver maximum savings with minimum risk.
Every Eco Schools solar installation includes live sustainability display screens positioned in reception areas and communal spaces throughout the school.
The displays show solar generation, carbon savings, environmental impact and energy performance, transforming previously hidden infrastructure into a visible learning resource.
For teachers, the data provides real-world content to support STEM, science, geography and sustainability lessons.
By making sustainability visible, measurable and accessible, Eco Schools helps inspire pupils while demonstrating the school’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
