Fully funded solar for schools – how UrbanVolt’s model works

Schools are well suited to solar. Large roofs, consistent daytime electricity use, a genuine sustainability agenda, and a mounting pressure on budgets – the case for on-site generation is straightforward. The barrier has always been capital.

UrbanVolt removes it entirely. We install, operate, and maintain a fully funded rooftop solar system on your school. You pay a fixed electricity rate 30 to 40% below the grid price, from day one, for the duration of the agreement. Zero capital outlay, zero maintenance responsibility, and no complicated procurement structure to navigate.

It is sometimes called ‘free solar’. We prefer to call it Solar as a Service – a fully managed clean energy solution that your school pays for through the electricity it uses.

UrbanVolt finances, designs, installs, and maintains the solar system on your roof. The contract is for services only and is not treated as a capital investment – there is nothing on your balance sheet. We always size your system to your peak summer demand and you only pay for what you consume.

The first cost your school incurs is the first monthly electricity charge, once the system is live and generating. You buy the solar electricity at a rate fixed for the full term – typically 20 years – at 30 to 40% below your grid price. The savings between what you pay and what you would have paid from the grid are yours to keep. And because the grid rate rises while your PPA rate is fixed, that saving grows every year.

All maintenance, repairs, cleaning, and performance monitoring are included. UrbanVolt monitors the system remotely throughout the contract. If there is a performance issue, we identify and resolve it – your school does not need to manage it.

UrbanVolt works in partnership with E&M Energy Consultancy, expert energy consultants to schools and the education sector. They bring specialist knowledge of how solar works in an education context – including compliance with public procurement rules, governance requirements, and how to develop a solar approach that works for your specific school.

This partnership means that when your school engages with UrbanVolt, you are not dealing with a commercial solar provider that has adapted a standard model for the education market. You are working with a team that understands your procurement obligations, your reporting requirements, and the practical realities of running a school estate.

We run the process in four clear stages.

Exploration. We review your energy data and develop a desktop site suitability assessment. We provide a benefits case that you can present to governors or trustees. If you want to proceed, we ask for a Letter of Intent to begin developing the project in detail. No commitment beyond that.

Development. We survey the electrical setup and roof of your school to prepare a final design and costings. Your maximum cost exposure at this stage is £1,000 per site – only payable if the project does not proceed.

Construction. Your full turnkey solar installation begins, with minimal disruption to the school day. All safety standards are followed, with RAMS, testing certificates, and HSE logs
provided as standard.

In-Life. From the moment your system is commissioned, you benefit from clean energy at a significantly reduced rate. Monitor your installation in real time through the UrbanVolt portal.
All maintenance and cleaning are provided throughout the contract term.

A typical school solar system running under a 20-year agreement generates six-figure cumulative savings over the contract term. The fixed rate means you can model the savings precisely and present them to governors with confidence. The grid rate will rise; your PPA rate will not.

For school business managers and bursars, the OPEX treatment is significant. This is not a capital project. There is no asset depreciation and no long-term liability on the balance sheet. It is an energy services contract that reduces your electricity spend from the day the system goes live.

For multi-academy trusts, the model scales. Multiple sites can be procured under a single framework, with one governance process covering the full portfolio.

Solar generates verifiable, measurable reductions in your school’s carbon footprint. The electricity produced on-site replaces grid electricity. The saving is real and reportable in governor reports, local authority sustainability submissions, or Ofsted inspections where environmental credentials are noted.

UrbanVolt tracks outcomes in real time through the portal, and performance reports can be downloaded in seconds. You will always have the data you need to demonstrate impact.

There is also a curriculum dimension worth considering. A live solar system generating real electricity is a teaching resource. Generation data visible in real time on a classroom screen gives science, geography, and PSHE teachers a practical, live illustration of renewable energy in action.

Register your school’s interest and we will arrange an exploratory conversation. No commitment required at that stage. We will review your energy data, assess the site on a desktop basis, and come back to you with an indicative benefits case.

If the desktop assessment is positive, we move to a full survey. If it is not, we tell you clearly and explain why. We would rather be straight with you early than waste your time on a project that will not stack up.

Most schools reach a signed agreement within eight to ten weeks of first contact. Installation is scheduled to minimise disruption, during holiday periods where possible.