Case Study
Leigh Academies Trust’s partnership with Zenergi has been in place for over a decade, spanning 34 sites.
Leigh Academies Trust is one of the country’s largest and most established Multi-Academy Trusts, operating across Kent, Medway and South East London. The Trust provides education for children aged 3-19 across one nursery; 15 primary schools; 16 secondary schools and two Special Educational Needs schools. Zenergi has supported Leigh Academies Trust with its energy procurement for more than 10 years.
Following a turbulent period in energy, the Trust was facing a significant increase in prices on its fixed contract renewal in 2023 and decided to explore a flexible purchasing strategy. Leigh Academies Trust was keen to protect its budget by capitalising on energy price fluctuations throughout the duration of the contract, rather than being restricted to a single procurement decision, as is the case with a fixed contract.
Following a workshop to explore the available procurement options, Leigh Academies Trust adopted Zenergi’s Zen Flex Bespoke product. It enables the Trust to take advantage of market movements by purchasing a volume of energy up front, while also trading on the day-ahead market to spread the risk of the volatile markets.
The purchasing strategy is managed by Zenergi’s Energy Markets team who use their expertise to navigate market movements effectively, devising strategic trading approaches that leverage opportunities to secure competitive energy prices.
The three-year strategy has enabled Leigh Academies Trust to achieve a saving against budget of £399,311 for year one alone. The savings for the duration of the contract are forecast at £200,287 for year two and £43,511 for year three. The projected savings amount to a total of £643,109. The strategy is one of the flexible procurement strategies that Zenergi manages on behalf of customers who want to take advantage of market movements to minimise energy costs.
Leigh Academies Trust’s experience demonstrates how embracing a flexible strategy leveraging the wealth of experience of Zenergi’s Energy Markets team can offer substantial budget savings.
Zenergi’s expertise and flexible procurement strategy have been invaluable to Leigh Academies Trust. Their Zen Flex Bespoke product has helped us navigate the volatile energy market, achieve significant cost savings and budget certainty. We’re extremely pleased with the results and ongoing performance and would recommend them to other organisations seeking to optimise their energy costs.
Richard Cottam MSc
Deputy Estates Director
Leigh Academies Trust
The projected savings from the three-year contract amount to a total of £643,109.
