## **Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Financial Activities**
From 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025
Charity registration number: 1189273
## **Trustees Annual Report**
## **Reference and Administrative Details**
## **Charity registration number**
1189273
## **Registered Office**
Fairlawn, Park Corner, Freshford, Bath, BA2 7UP
## **Trustees**
Helen Burge, Chair (appointed 19th May 2025)
Andrew Houston, Treasurer
Peter Andrews
Robert Schrimpff (resigned 3rd April 2025)
Dr Robert Cohen
Sunny Pawar (resigned 13th June 2025)
Naomi Allen
Timothy Warnes
Edward Moore
Prof Ian Walker (appointed 22nd July 2025)
## **Senior Leadership Team**
Dr Claudia Towner, Chief Executive Officer
Leigh Dodds, Chief Technology Officer
## **Contribution made by volunteers**
Energy Sparks is supported by its volunteer trustees who support the charity in a general capacity with technical guidance, personnel management, financial oversight and strategic guidance. Without this valuable contribution of time, energy and expertise the successful operation of Energy Sparks would not be possible.
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## **Objectives, Activities and Public Benefit**
The trustees are aware of the Charity Commission guidance on Charity and Public Benefit and confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to it.
The purposes of the charity, as set out in its governing document are:
- To promote for the public benefit, the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment by developing and promoting tools, services and programmes to reduce energy and resource consumption and carbon emissions.
- To advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment by educating and informing the public, particularly but not exclusively young people about the causes and impacts of climate change, and the importance of energy saving and reducing carbon emissions.
Energy Sparks’ vision is a sustainable future in which the school community is at the heart of measurable action to tackle climate change. We equip children and young people with the knowledge, skills, and tools to take measurable action in their school and wider community to reduce carbon emissions. We enable school leaders, staff and communities to better understand and reduce their school’s energy consumption and introduce wider measures to reduce their carbon footprint.
In 2024/2025, Energy Sparks continued to deliver clear public benefit by supporting schools and their communities to understand, monitor, and reduce their energy use and associated carbon emissions. Our school-specific energy management tool, educational resources, training for school staff, and in-school education workshops enable pupils, teachers, site managers and school leaders to take practical steps to reduce energy waste, cut costs, and contribute to national and global efforts to tackle climate change.
Through our publicly accessible dashboards, Energy Sparks democratises access to school energy data, revealing exactly when the school is using energy and supporting staff and pupils to identify easy opportunities to optimise their heating systems, reduce energy bills and take immediate action to make a difference.
One of the main focuses of Energy Sparks is to demonstrate to schools how to reduce their energy consumption without capital investment. Most of the interventions suggested by the Energy Sparks energy management tool are completely free - such as changing boiler settings and switching off
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appliances outside of school hours. This means they are accessible to any school regardless of the school budget, size and building infrastructure.
A unique feature of Energy Sparks is the way that pupils are supported to use real-world energy data to inform energy saving and educational activities. Over the last year, pupils at participating schools have recorded thousands of energy related activities - from carrying out spot checks for lights and electrical equipment left on at lunchtime to meeting with caretakers and kitchen staff to discuss their roles in saving energy. For young people, being able to see the difference they can make and knowing that their school is taking the climate emergency seriously is crucial. With schools being at the heart of our communities, the energy-saving life skills staff and students learn in school can often be replicated at home.
Energy Sparks’ in-school workshops are designed to further inspire and motivate pupils to take action to reduce their carbon footprint. Pupils learn how to conduct an energy audit and identify energy-consuming equipment around the school. They learn how to analyse heating charts, and explore temperature and heating in their school using a thermal imaging camera.
“The weekly alerts and data access provided by Energy Sparks are excellent for identifying small changes that can lead to significant improvements in our energy efficiency. The activities are fantastic for the children, offering them a real sense of purpose as they conduct surveys and contribute to reducing our energy usage. The platform is user-friendly and accessible to both pupils and staff, making it an invaluable tool in our sustainability efforts. By using Energy Sparks, we've definitely enhanced our sustainability practices and successfully reduced our utility bills!”
**Head Teacher at Richard Wakefield CE Primary Academy, Affinity Learning Partnership**
## **Achievements and Performance**
In 2024/25, more than 1,100 schools used the Energy Sparks energy management platform, supported by over 4,000 school staff and Multi-Academy Trust platform users and empowered by thousands of pupils taking action for their planet. Together, they delivered 3,149 pupil-led energy-saving activities and 3,983 staff-led interventions, turning energy data insight into real-world change.
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The average primary school using Energy Sparks’ platform cut its gas use by 13% and electricity use by 7%, saving around £3,000 and 6 tonnes of CO₂.
The average secondary school achieved similar impact, reducing gas use by 13% and electricity use by 6%, saving an impressive £17,000 and 30 tonnes of CO₂.
Across all participating schools, these collective actions added up to an estimated £4.6 million saved and 8,400 tonnes of CO₂ avoided—demonstrating the scale of change that’s possible when schools have the tools and confidence to act.
Alongside the impact of our energy management platform, we brought hands-on support directly to schools—delivering 124 in-school workshops, conducting 19 on-site energy audits, and equipping 412 staff with practical skills through 55 live webinar training sessions. Together, these activities helped schools turn knowledge into confident, immediate action.
In June 2025, Energy Sparks was proud to be recognised as a finalist for Product of the Year at the MAT Excellence Awards.
## **Case studies highlighting examples of our impact**
## **St Nicholas Priory CE VA School**
St Nicholas Priory School began using Energy Sparks’ energy management platform in the 2024/25 academic year—and quickly uncovered a surprising insight. The data revealed that 76% of their gas use was happening when students weren’t even in the building, with weekend consumption particularly high.
Armed with this evidence, the school took swift, targeted action. They switched off the heating at weekends, reduced back heating hours on school days, and lowered the set temperature across the site.
The impact has been remarkable. In just 12 months, St Nicholas Priory cut its gas consumption by 44%, saving £9,800 and preventing 30 tonnes of CO₂ from being emitted.
A clear example of how smart data and simple changes can deliver major results.
“It was surprising to see how much gas was being wasted when the school was not even in use. I found the pie charts very telling, particularly when starting this journey. I had no idea the heating was being left on at weekends.”
**School Site Manager, St Nicholas Priory CE VA Primary School**
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## **Oasis Academy - Enfield**
Oasis Academy Enfield had a standout year with Energy Sparks—winning both the 2024/2025 Scoreboard Competition and the Pupil-Led Action Award at Christmas 2024.
The school focused relentlessly on cutting its electricity baseload, achieving an impressive 11% reduction over the year. At the heart of this achievement was the Eco Club, who threw themselves into the challenge: scrutinising Energy Sparks data, identifying opportunities to save energy, and championing change across the school.
Through their determination—and their persuasive communication with staff and fellow students—the Eco Club helped embed a strong, school-wide energy-saving culture, turning analysis into action and effort into award-winning impact.
“The Eco Club has been so helpful in supporting the school, they gave us excellent advice, showing us how to save energy and the impact this has on the environment. Displaying that a small change can have a BIG impact. We are super proud of the team.” **Head of Year 10, Oasis Academy - Enfield**
“We are very happy to have won, but it took a significant shift in staff mindset to get here. At the beginning, many staff members were unaware of how much energy they were using and how small actions could lead to big savings. Over the year, we worked hard to raise awareness, reminding colleagues to turn off lights and equipment when not in use. Their growing involvement and support helped us improve our energy performance significantly. This journey created a more positive and environmentally conscious culture among our staff.” **Eco-Champion, Oasis Academy - Enfield**
“Thanks to Energy Sparks! My daughter is now always thinking about how to save energy at home. She consistently switches off lights and reminds us how to conserve water. She has become more confident speaking in front of others during the assemblies she helps promote and lead throughout the year. She's excited to continue with the Eco Club and use Energy Sparks to keep learning and making a difference.”
**Parent, Oasis Academy - Enfield**
## **Maryland Primary School**
Maryland Primary School joined Energy Sparks in summer 2024—and quickly turned energy saving into a whole-school mission. Pupils led the charge: carrying out regular spot checks to make sure lights and equipment were switched off, helping run an energy-efficiency reward scheme, supporting staff with holiday switch-off routines, and even joining the premises manager on “energy detective” tours to measure temperatures and find open windows during chilly months.
Working alongside the site supervisor, the school’s eco-warriors also used Energy Sparks charts to dig into the data. Their analysis helped the premises manager and senior leadership team rethink how the school was heated. Together, they introduced smarter heating controls by:
- Lowering the heating set point by 2°C
- Adjusting heating timings to match when the school was actually occupied
- Improving frost-protection settings to avoid unnecessary weekend and holiday heating
The results have been impressive. In just 12 months, Maryland Primary cut its gas consumption by 22% and electricity use by 10%, saving £3,500 and preventing 9.5 tonnes of CO₂ from being emitted.
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Maryland Primary’s proactive, pupil-powered approach shows how combining curiosity, teamwork and good data can deliver real, measurable energy savings.
This great achievement is all down to the hard work of our brilliant group of ecowarriors, a group of students who help make Maryland as sustainable as possible. Their dedication and passion for reducing our energy usage has been transformative, and they are already coming up with new ideas on how to reduce our energy and gas usage even more next year!
**Henry Watson, Science & Sustainability Lead, Maryland Primary School**
A full range of case studies showcasing savings achieved at schools using Energy Sparks’ energy management platform can be found at https://energysparks.uk/case-studies.
## **Energy Sparks User feedback in 2024/2025**
Energy Sparks’ annual user survey which was completed in May 2025 evidenced the main benefits of Energy Sparks to users. These are:
- Cost benefits: utility bill reduction and the potential to save money
- Tracking and monitoring of energy usage with weekly alerts and emails. Holiday, daily, weekly and yearly comparisons.
- Being able to actively and intentionally involve students with accessible activities and resources. Useful support for eco-teams.
- Visual way to engage with data, good graphical formats, easy to understand, clear alerts, user-friendly, well-designed dashboards.
- Celebrating improvements and ‘proof’ that efforts are paying off. Allows schools to reward and share progress being made in school.
The most popular reasons for schools to join Energy Sparks were:
- reducing school energy bills (85%),
- reducing the school’s carbon footprint (76%)
- getting the students involved in sustainability (71%)
The main energy saving actions that have been carried out since schools joined Energy Sparks were:
- switching off lights (89%) and electric equipment (86%),
- updating heating timings (75%)
- reducing the heating set temperature (67%)
“The pupil dashboard is really great for helping children understand how our school uses energy. The simple comparisons to phone charging, TV use, kettles, etc. is really powerful and has been a catalyst for action for our green team. The coloured charts are easy for children to interpret and have just enough information that they understand it well. The ability to log our actions has been great to look back on and the league table is a good motivator!
## **Teacher at Victoria Park Primary School, Cathedral Schools Trust**
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## **Energy Sparks energy management tool improvements**
In 2024/25, we continued to enhance the Energy Sparks platform so that schools and trusts can use it more easily, understand their energy use more clearly, and achieve even bigger savings. These improvements also help us deliver our services more efficiently.
Guided by user feedback, we gave our Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) dashboards a major redesign. The new dashboards make it much easier for trust central teams to compare energy use across their schools and spot the biggest opportunities for savings. We also added new Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) features to support MATs in completing their annual SECR reports quickly and accurately.
We overhauled our target-tracking tools, which let schools set energy-saving goals for the year and monitor their progress. The updated version is simpler to use and now accepts historic bill data, so schools can track improvements even before half-hourly data is available.
Our weekly email alerts—designed to flag changes in a school’s energy use—have also been improved. Behind the scenes, we created a full integration with Mailchimp, allowing us to manage contacts in a GDPR-compliant way and send focused newsletters and targeted updates to school staff, MAT users, Local Authority officers, and subscribers.
For schools with limited gas data, we refreshed our heating control pages to give them immediate, practical recommendations for cutting heat waste. We also introduced academic-year energy comparisons, sitting alongside our existing year-to-date views. To improve the accuracy and timeliness of data, we built automated integrations with the Perse energy data platform and the Solis Cloud solar monitoring system, giving us daily access to half-hourly electricity data and real-time solar generation and export information.
Finally, we launched new support pages, making it easier for users to find answers to common questions and helping us bring new schools and MATs on board more efficiently.
## **Organisational growth**
Energy Sparks has benefited from growing policy and public pressure for decarbonisation of school estates. Department for Education requirements to have a Climate Action Plan and Sustainability Lead in place by December 2025 have driven school interest in Energy Sparks over the last year.
Throughout 2024/2025, we worked closely with the Ashden Foundation’s Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisors, who have championed our work to many new schools across England. We have provided the Advisors with training on effective energy management and making the best use of the Energy Sparks platform to help the development and delivery of schools’ climate action plans.
To support our reach to more schools, we recruited an additional part-time School Support and Data Officer in November 2024, with a further part-time School Support and Data Officer starting in September 2025. We also recruited a part-time Communications and Marketing Manager in January 2025 to help us professionalise our communications to schools and partners.
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## **Supporters**
The following organisations provided generous support in 2024/2025, allowing 662 schools to access Energy Sparks’ services free of charge, minimising barriers to engagement and providing opportunities for students to take impactful action to reduce their school's carbon footprint and develop environmental awareness
- OVO Foundation
- Drax Foundation
- Shoosmiths Foundation
- Simon Gibson Charitable Trust
- Scott Bader Charity Fund
- King Charles III Charitable Fund
- ORIT Impact Fund
- Big Green Give
- Fuellers Charitable Trust
- Bristol City Leap
- LASER Energy and e.on
- Egni Co-op
- Brighton Energy Co-op
- Talybont on Usk Community Energy
- Lux Nova
- N3rgy Data Ltd
- Perse
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## **Plans for the future**
Energy Sparks is aiming to provide its energy management tool to 1,250 schools by summer 2026.
During 2025/2026, we are delivering our energy management tool to 160 schools through the Department for Education’s Great British Energy Solar Project. 80 schools, predominantly in the North-East of England are also benefitting from an enhanced service with more 1 to 1 support to help them make best use of our energy data insights and analysis to develop their energy action plans, and in-school workshops.
In September 2025, we appointed a new part-time Head of Education who will develop a new Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering offer that supports students to use Energy Sparks to achieve the volunteering requirements for the Award scheme, as well as making a difference to their school’s carbon footprint.
In 2025/2026, we also plan to set up a new youth committee to allow young people to voice their opinions on how to make Energy Sparks' work more engaging and impactful and to allow them to be engaged in activities such as marketing, fundraising, planning and evaluation on behalf of the charity.
Since September 2025, we’ve already invested in further improvements to our group dashboard structure to support the discovery of schools by diocese and local authority, and to allow schools to be in multiple groups, for example, their Multi-Academy Trust and a specific project group. This supports collaborative working with partners.
Our product development priorities over the next year include:
- Improving the presentation of our pupil activities and adult-led action guidance to help user discoverability
- Updating the student login functionality to improve cybersecurity and to support the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering programme.
- Developing new group impact reporting functionality to better share the energy saving achievements of our schools with their Multi-Academy Trust leads
- Further streamline onboarding, data access, and our internal processes to allow us to provide our energy management platform more efficiently. This will include developing a new data model, internal processes and reports to support invoicing and renewals.
## **Financial Review**
As of 31 August 2025, total Unrestricted Funds held were £191,224. No transfers from Unrestricted Funds to Restricted Funds were required. These unrestricted funds represented around 3.5 months of core running costs for the current staff team.
Restricted Funds at 31 August 2025 were £3,994. This comprised funds allocated to the Big Give supported activities.
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## **INCOME**
During 2024/2025, Energy Sparks continued to expand its income from Multi-Academy Trusts, Local Authorities and schools paying for our energy management platform and support. In 2024/2025, 35% of Energy Sparks’ income came from schools, MATs and Local Authorities paying for our energy management platform. This is an increase compared to 19% of income in 2023/2024. Grant income reduced from 67% in 2023/2024 to 49% in 2024/2025.
Total Income up to 31 August 2025 was £552,300. The most significant grant income comprised £150,000 from the Drax Foundation to support the delivery of the Energy Sparks energy management platform to 240 schools in Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and the East of England regions as well as in-school workshops to 60 schools. £100,626 from the OVO Foundation supported the provision of Energy Sparks’ platform to 170 schools in the South-West, London, South-East and West Midlands regions, as well as in-school workshops to 30 schools.
£173,294 of income was from state schools paying for access to our energy management platform, £19,575 was from independent schools paying for our platform, £26,923 was from community energy sponsorship of schools hosting their solar panels or located in their areas of operation and £25,850 was from the delivery of energy audits to schools.
## **EXPENDITURE**
Total Payments up to 31 August 2025 were £575,071. The most significant payments comprised £398,278 on staff salaries, £47,794 on employee pension costs, £37,209 on employers’ National Insurance and £44,693 on freelance education workshop delivery and £22,325 on freelance energy audit support by our subcontractors, School Energy Efficiency.
## **The charity’s policy on reserves**
Energy Sparks' unrestricted reserves are that part of the charity’s funds which are freely available to spend on any of the charity’s purposes. The Trustees have agreed to maintain 3-4 months' of core running costs as reserves to provide sufficient funds to cover loss of regular grant or earned income, unforeseen day-to-day operational costs, short-term deficits in cash flow, and staff redundancy. The reserves policy is reviewed at least annually at the AGM, but with consideration given during quarterly financial touchpoints.
As of 31 August 2025, total Unrestricted Funds held were £191,224. These unrestricted funds represented Energy Sparks’ reserves and were around 3.5 months’ worth of core running costs for the staff team at the time.
## **Risk management**
The Trustees have a risk-management strategy that comprises:
- A regular review of the risks the Charity faces,
- Systems, procedures and prioritisation of new product functionality to mitigate against those risks and their potential impacts,
- Regular review of our insurance cover to assess whether it adequately addresses the risks and potential liabilities we face, extending cover if new risks are identified, and as the scale of our
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operations grows. The trustees have recently increased Professional Indemnity cover to £1 million and taken out new £100,000 Legal Representation and Employment Disputes cover.
The Trustees have examined the major strategic, business and operational risks to which the charity may be exposed. The priority risks identified in 2024/2025 and their associated mitigation measures are:
- **Financial environment and funding landscape** - With an increasingly diverse income stream, less reliance on grants from Trusts and Foundations and more fee income from our services to schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, Local Authorities and commercial partners, the Trustees believe the charity is now more financially resilient. Energy Sparks includes a fair allocation of overhead costs in all grant applications, bids and tenders. This approach supports the sustainability of core functions, enabling the delivery of our work effectively, and contributes to the ongoing strategic development of the organisation.
- **Customer service expectations aligning with product price point -** Energy Sparks regularly reviews and adjusts pricing models, allocates resources to improving operational efficiency, prioritises high-impact product features, and aims to clearly communicate product value to our service users.
- **Team capacity** - Energy Sparks is investing in more automation and tools to reduce manual workload and encourages knowledge-sharing to prevent specialist dependency. Project planning accounts for recruitment lead times, though delays in major contract awards without extended delivery timeframes can challenge team capacity.
- **Staff succession planning -** Energy Sparks documents key knowledge and processes, has created new senior roles within the team and distributed more responsibilities across the senior team, reducing reliance on any one individual. Over the next year, Energy Sparks will be developing an emergency leadership continuity plan to address unexpected short-term absences, and identifying interim leadership solutions to minimise disruption.
- **Ease of reliable energy data access from energy suppliers and meter operators** - Energy Sparks will be developing an internal risk register of suppliers and meter operators with known reliability issues or data delays, alongside exploring alternative data aggregator platforms . Energy Sparks will prioritise relationships with schools with reliable data suppliers, and explore options for MOUs or informal agreements with major energy suppliers and meter operators to improve cooperation and support reliable data access.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Type of governing document**
Constitution dated 20th March 2020
## **How is the charity constituted**
Charitable Incorporated Organisation
## **Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions**
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The charity must have at least 3 trustees in post. Every trustee must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
## Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
|Full name|Position|Date|Signature|
|---|---|---|---|
|Helen Burge|Chair|11/02/2026||
|Andrew Houston|Treasurer|11/02/2026||
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**Energy Sparks Registered charity: 1189273**
## **Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31 August 2025**
|Notes
**Income and endowments from:**
Donations and legacies
2
Charitable activities
2
Investments
2
**_Total_**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
3
Charitable activities
3
**_Total_**
**_Net movement in funds_**
**_Reconciliation of funds:_**
Total funds brought forward
**_Total funds carried forward_**|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||90|0|90|368||368|
||251,862|293,994|545,855|161,097|399,986|561,083|
||6,355|0|6,355|608||608|
||258,306|293,994|552,300|162,074|399,986|562,059|
||||||||
||||||||
||8,160|0|8,160|2,457|39,837|42,294|
||232,016|334,894|566,911|79,681|378,989|458,670|
||240,176|334,894|575,071|82,138|418,826|500,964|
||||||||
||18,130|(40,901)|(22,771)|79,935|(18,840)|61,095|
||||||||
||173,094|44,894|217,988|93,159|63,734|156,893|
||191,224|3,994|195,217|173,094|44,894|217,988|
## **Balance sheet as at 31 August 2025**
|Notes
**Current assets**
Cash at bank and in hand
Debtors
**_Total current assets_**
**Liabilities**
**Creditors: amounts falling due**
**within one year**
4
**_Net assets_**
**Funds of the Charity**
**Restricted income funds**
5
**Unrestricted funds**
5
**_Total funds_**|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|**2024/2025**
**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
£
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||215,551|112,021|327,572|177,218|223,144|400,363|
||3,924|0|3,924|3,150|0|3,150|
||219,475|112,021|331,496|180,368|223,144|403,513|
||||||||
||28,251|108,027|136,279|7,274|178,250|185,524|
||||||||
||191,224|3,994|195,217|173,094|44,894|217,988|
||||||||
||0|3,994|3,994||44,894|44,894|
||191,224|0|191,224|173,094||173,094|
||191,224|3,994|195,217|173,094|44,894|217,988|
1
## **Cashflow Statement as at 31 August 2025**
|**Cash flows from operating activities**
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
**Cash flows from investing activities**
Interest
**Net cash used in investing activities**
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**
**Cash flows from operating activities**
Net movement in funds as per statement of financial
activities
Interest
Depreciation charges
Decrease/(Increase) in debtors
Increase/(Decrease) in creditors
**Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities**
**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents**
Cash in hand
Notice deposits (less than 3 months)
**Total cash and cash equivalents**|**As at 31 August**
**2025**
**As at 31 August 2024**
(79,145)
176,745
6,355
608
**6,355**
**608**
**(72,791)**
**177,353**
**400,363**
**223,009**
**327,572**
**400,362**
(22,771)
61,095
(6,355)
(608)
0
0
(774)
(217)
(49,246)
116,474
**(79,145)**
**176,745**
171,791
400,363
155,781
0 Flagstone account opened Sep 2024
**327,572**
**400,363**|
|---|---|
**The Financial Statements were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by Andrew Houston, Trustee on 11th February 2026**
## **Notes for the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025**
## **1. Accounting Policies**
## **General information**
The Charity is registered in England and Wales, registration number 1189273. Its registered office address is Fairlawn, Park Corner, Freshford, Bath BA2 7UP. The financial statements have been prepared in GBP and all amounts have been rounded to the nearest £.
## **Accounting policies**
## **Basis of preparation of financial statements**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their
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accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (issued in October 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
Energy Sparks meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.
## **Going concern**
The accounts have been prepared on the going concern basis as the trustees are of the opinion that the charity will be a going concern for at least the next 12 months, beginning with the date on which these accounts have been approved.
## **Income**
All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Grants are included in the statement of financial activities balance sheet on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the balance sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income.
A grant of £100,000 from the Drax Foundation was received in April 2025 to support schools in the 2025/2026 school year; income of £7,620 was received from Laser in June 2025 to support schools in 2025/2026; a grant of £2,500 from the King Charles III Foundation was received in June 2025 to support schools in 2025/2026; a grant of £6,540 from Lux Nova was received in June 2025 for the 2025/2026 year; £9,810 was received from the New Collaborative Learning Trust of which £4,905 is deferred to June 2026 and £4,905 to June 2027. These payments have been recorded as deferred income in the 2024/2025 Financial Statements.
All voluntary support during the 2024/2025 reporting year was through the contribution of unpaid general volunteers. Their contribution has not been recorded in these accounts but is acknowledged in the trustees’ report.
## **Tangible Fixed Assets**
As of 31 August 2025, the charity had limited physical assets comprising around 500 classroom thermometer cards, <10 appliance monitors, 2 second-hand mobile phones and 3 laptops. The charity’s threshold for recording physical assets as tangible fixed assets is an initial purchase cost of £1000 or more. Equipment or resources purchased for less than £1000 is recorded as an expense.
## **Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent. Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the charity's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.
In these Financial Statements all expenditure is allocated to Charitable Activities except for £8,160 allocated to Raising Funds comprising 10% of the CEO’s total remuneration, pension and employer’s national insurance.
3
This is a reduction from 30% in 2023/2024 which reflects the organisation’s move away from grant funding, towards more contracts for services of its energy management platform.
Total Support costs to the Charitable Activities were £17,870 comprising 15% of the CEO’s remuneration, pension and Employers National Insurance contribution to cover the accounting, payroll and general personnel management functions delivered by the CEO, with the balance of £5,630 comprising insurance, accounting software, bank fees, job adverts, independent examination of the accounts, and meeting costs.
Fees for the independent examination of the accounts (governance) paid during the reporting period were £550 plus VAT.
## **VAT**
Energy Sparks charges VAT on its relevant ‘business’ services sold to schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, Local Authorities and Community energy companies. This included annual service fees for our energy management platform and energy audits. Provision of in-school education workshops are exempt from VAT on education grounds. Grant income from trusts and foundations to allow selected schools free access to our services is outside the scope of VAT and considered ‘non-business’ income.
Energy Sparks recovered input VAT on expenditure incurred in relation to business supplies. Business/non-business apportionment was used to determine the amount of input VAT which could be recovered where supplies supported services to both grant-funded schools and schools paying for services. The ratio of business/non-business apportionment was determined based on the business/non-business income split for the financial year to date at the time of the quarterly VAT return.
## **Interest receivable**
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.
## **Foreign currencies**
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at rates of exchange ruling at the reporting date.
## **Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
## **Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
## **Liabilities**
Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advance payments for the goods or services it must provide.
## **Fund accounting**
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees for the furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.
4
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes.
As of 31 August 2025, total Unrestricted Funds held were £191,224. No transfers from Unrestricted Funds to Restricted Funds were required. These unrestricted funds represented around 3.5 months’ worth of core running costs for the current staff team.
Restricted Funds at 31 August 2025 were £3,994. This comprised funds allocated to the Big Give supported activities.
## **Rounding differences**
The financial statements have been prepared to the nearest 2 decimal places and are presented to the nearest £1. There may therefore be rounding differences of a few pounds throughout the financial statements. This does not affect the accuracy of the information.
5
**2. Income Breakdown as at 31 August 2025**
|**2024/2025**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**|**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**|
|---|---|
|**Donations and legacies**||
|Unrestricted corporate donations
0
0
0
Other unrestricted income
90
0
90|0
0
0
368
0
368|
|**Charitable activities**||
|OVO Foundation
0
100,626
100,626
Postcode Local Trust
0
0
0
Energy for Tomorrow
0
0
0
Physical on-site audits (chargeable)
25,850
0
25,850
Corporate donations to support named schools
6,125
0
6,125
Independent school fees
19,575
0
19,575
Education workshops (chargeable)
50
0
50
Community Energy Sponsorship
26,923
0
26,923
Corporate sponsorship
0
0
0
State school fees
173,294
0
173,294
Drax Foundation
0
150,000
150,000
Small Grants
45
750
795
Bristol City Leap community energy fund
0
1,000
1,000
Big Give
0
3,938
3,938
Consultancy services
0
0
0
Shoosmiths Foundation
0
0
0
Simon Gibson Charitable Trust
0
0
0
Elbow Beach Foundation
0
0
0
Scott Bader Charity Fund
0
4,000
4,000
Laser/EON
0
21,180
21,180
King Charles III Charitable Fund
0
2,500
2,500
ORIT Impact Fund (Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust
Plc)
0
10,000
10,000|0
115,025
115,025
0
25,000
25,000
0
5,000
5,000
13,725
0
13,725
3,000
0
3,000
15,207
0
15,207
150
0
150
26,125
0
26,125
1,000
0
1,000
91,941
0
91,941
0
150,000
150,000
0
1,876
1,876
0
4,000
4,000
0
4,085
4,085
9,950
0
9,950
0
62,500
62,500
0
10,000
10,000
0
22,500
22,500
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0|
|**Investments**||
|Interest Income
6,355
0
6,355|608
0
608|
|**Total Income**
**258,306**
**293,994**
**552,300**|**162,074**
**399,986**
**562,059**|
6
## **3. Total Expenditure breakdown as at 31 August 2025**
|**2024/2025**
**Expenditure category**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**
Advertising & Marketing
28
0
28
Audit & Accountancy fees
848
189
1,037
Bank Fees
85
0
85
Employers National Insurance
10,758
26,451
37,209
Insurance
520
158
678
IT Software and Consumables
1,146
4,901
6,047
Pensions Costs
19,791
28,003
47,794
Postage, Freight & Courier
35
0
35
Printing & Stationery
3
0
3
Salaries
159,899
238,378
398,278
Education support (freelance)
12,010
32,683
44,693
Staff Training
592
850
1,442
Telephone & Internet
431
697
1,127
Travel - National
775
936
1,711
DBS checks
81
0
81
User research incentives
150
0
150
Audit support (freelance)
22,325
0
22,325
Translation
3,622
0
3,622
Meeting venues and catering
1,323
0
1,323
Prizes
2,000
1,350
3,350
Staff entertainment
0
0
0
Metering costs
3,260
0
3,260
Recruitment
494
298
792
Fundraising consultancy
0
0
0|**2023/2024**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**
2,726
13,054
15,780
1,485
59
1,543
38
47
85
(305)
33,329
33,023
0
579
579
2,321
1,511
3,832
5,299
36,869
42,167
34
31
65
0
0
0
44,154
302,183
346,337
3,690
24,780
28,470
0
0
0
328
541
869
914
439
1,353
0
13
13
0
250
250
12,050
0
12,050
5,420
0
5,420
472
25
497
3,309
1,191
4,500
205
0
205
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3,925
3,925|Notes
Support costs
Support costs
Support costs
Support costs
Partly support cost
Support costs
Support costs
Partly support cost
|
|---|---|---|
|**Total Expenditure**
**240,176**
**334,894**
**575,071**|**82,138**
**418,826**
**500,964**||
## **Expenditure Notes**
In 2024/2025, 10% of CEO salary, pension and employers NI costs (£8,160) were allocated to Raising Funds. This is a reduction from 30% in 2023/2024 which reflects the organisation’s move away from grant funding, towards more contracts for services of its energy management platform.
Total support costs, which include 15% of CEO remuneration, is £17,870. This also includes cost of insurance, banking, accountancy, unrestricted recruitment and related expenses, and meeting and conference costs.
## **Staff Costs**
Staff costs in 2024/2025 comprised £398,278 on staff salaries, £47,794 on employee pension costs, and £37,209 on employers’ National Insurance.
The average number of staff employed during the year was 9.5. This comprised 5 full time staff and 5 part time staff, equating to 8.03 FTE. No redundancy or termination payments were paid during the reporting period.
The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise the CEO and CTO. The total employment benefits, including employer pension contributions, of those key management personnel were £162,873, incurred by 2 members of staff.
7
Two employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000 during the reporting period.
£60,000 - £69,999 - 1 employee
£80,000 - £89,999 - 1 employee
## **Pensions**
The charity is a member of a pension arrangement with NEST and contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activity as paid.
## **Trustee Remuneration and Expenses**
None of the trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from an employment with the charity or a related entity. No trustee expenses have been incurred.
## **4. Creditors breakdown as at 31 August 2025**
||**2024/2025**|**2023/2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Trade creditors|196|155|
|Accruals|0|0|
|Income in Advance|126,470|184,045|
|VAT|9,612|1,324|
|Total Creditors|136,279|185,524|
## **5. Fund Breakdown as at 31 August 2025**
|||**2024/2025**|||**2023/2024**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Balance at 31**|||**Balance at 31**|
||**Income**|**Expenditure**|**August 2025**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**August 2024**|
|**OVO Foundation grant**|100,626|100,626|**0**|115,025|129,084|**0**|
|**Drax Foundation**|150,000|150,000|**0**|150,000|150,000|**0**|
|**Fuellers Charitable Trust**|750|750|**0**|750|750|**0**|
|**Bristol City Leap**|1,000|1,243|**0**|4,000|3,757|**243**|
|**Big Give**|3,938|4,029|**3,994**|4,085|0|**4,085**|
|**Laser/eon**|21,180|13,687|**0**|0|7,493|**(7,493)**|
|**Shoosmiths Foundation**|0|42,340|**0**|62,500|20,160|**42,340**|
|**Simon Gibson Charitable Trust**|0|5,718|**0**|10,000|4,282|**5,718**|
|**King Charles III Charitable Fund**|2,500|2,500|**0**||0|**0**|
|**ORIT Impact Fund (Octopus**|||||||
|**Renewables Infrastructure Trust**|||||||
|**Plc)**|10,000|10,000|**0**||0|**0**|
|**Scott Bader Charity Fund**|4,000|4,000|**0**||0|**0**|
|**Unrestricted**|258,306|240,176|**191,225**|162,074|82,138|**173,095**|
|**Centrica Energy for Tomorrow**|0|0|**0**|5,000|54,676|**0**|
|**Elbow Beach Foundation**|0|0|**0**|22,500|22,500|**0**|
|**Postcode Local Trust**|0|0|**0**|25,000|25,000|**0**|
|**Transition Bath**|0|0|**0**|1,126|1,126|**0**|
|Total|**552,300**|**575,071**|**195,217**|**562,059**|**500,964**|**217,988**|
8
**Description of restricted funds in 2024/2025**
**OVO Foundation -** Funding to support the provision of Energy Sparks’ energy management platform to 170 schools in the South-West, London, South-East and West Midlands regions as well as funding to support the provision of in-school education workshops to 30 schools in the same regions.
**Drax Foundation -** Funding to support the delivery of the Energy Sparks’ energy management platform to 240 schools in Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and East of England regions as well as in-school workshops to 60 schools.
**Fuellers Charitable Trust -** Funding for Energy Sparks scoreboard prizes.
**Bristol City Leap -** Funding to support the delivery of the energy management platform, workshops and/or energy audits to 5 schools in the Bristol area.
**Big Give -** Funding to support the delivery of the energy management platform to 8 schools.
**Laser/eon -** Funding to support the delivery of the Energy Sparks’ energy management platform and in-school workshops to 25 Laser and eon customer schools.
**Shoosmiths Foundation -** Funding to support the provision of Energy Sparks’ energy management platform to 75 schools serving deprived communities around Shoosmiths offices, as well as provision of in-school workshops to 15 of the same schools.
**Simon Gibson Charitable Trust -** Funding to support the provision of the energy management platform to 20 schools in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire.
**King Charles III Charitable Fund -** Funding to support the provision of the energy management platform to 5 schools in Bath and NE Somerset.
**ORIT Impact Fund (Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust Plc) -** Funding to support the provision of the energy management platform to 20 schools across England.
**Scott Bader Charitable Fund -** Funding to support the provision of the energy management platform to 8 schools in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.
9
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
**Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees**
Charity Name Energy Sparks
**On accounts for the year** 31 August 2025 **Charity no** 1189273 **ended (if any) Set out on pages** 1-9 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the CIO”) for the year ended 31 /08 / 2025.
**Responsibilities and** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the **basis of report** accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
**Independent** The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to **examiner's statement** undertake the examination by being a qualified member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants _._
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
* _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._
**Date:** 29 January 2026
**Signed: Name:** Sheila Parry
1
**Oct 2018**
**IER**
## **Relevant professional** FCCA **qualification(s) or body (if any):**
## **Address:**
SPX Oxford Ltd Peace House, Paradise Street
Oxford OX1 1LD
## **Section B Disclosure**
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** .
2
**Oct 2018**
**IER**
IER
Oct 2018