Purpose
To assist schools with the payment of utilities charges including electricity, water, sewerage and waste removal. Utilities charges may vary considerably according to local circumstances and the price structure of Local Government Authorities and Councils. As a result, the allocation of funds will reflect the unique circumstances of each school.
Duration of program
Ongoing
Eligibility
All Queensland State schools including special schools, environmental and outdoor education centres.
Allocation of funds
Recurrent funding
Entitlements are calculated by treating various utilities differently with data provided from each school as follows:
| Electricity | Electricity expenditure provided by electricity vendors or OneSchool Agresso in July (3) | Actual expenditure from previous financial year (1) |
| Water | Utilities expenditure extracted from OneSchool Agresso in July (3) | Actual expenditure from previous financial year (1) |
| Other categories (2) | Utilities expenditure extracted from OneSchool Agresso in July (3) | Actual expenditure from previous financial year |
(1) Mid-year price increases will be factored into methodology calculation.
(2) Gas (for power generation), diesel (for power generation), sewerage, waste (recycling, skip bins, confidential document disposal, sanitary, nappies, sharps, trade/grease trap waste), licences (backflow device, river/bore water) and other local government levies (emergency, disaster, environment, administration, fire, roads/barges).
(3) OneSchool data is checked for accuracy, compared with previous years data and amended if necessary. This data provides the calculation of the following years utilities funding i.e. 2021/22 data is used for calculating 2023 funding.
(4) Reviews can be undertaken at the request of the school or the utilities team during the year to ensure schools are being fairly funded for their utilities allocation.
Note: Entering accurate utilities expenditure and consumption into OneSchool with the appropriate general ledger code ensures the accurate calculation of future utilities funds and department/whole-of-government reporting. Departmental staff can search 'utilities and sustainability funding for schools' in OnePortal for more information.
Contingency funding
Contingency funding may be available where schools have experienced increased utilities usage as a result of a specific incident beyond their control. Allocations will depend on the nature of the incident and the extent of the additional costs under consideration.
Funding for new schools
New schools will be funded for their utility costs through reimbursement of paid invoices, as there is no historical data available for funding calculations. Reimbursement of invoices will continue until school operations stabilised. To facilitate this process, please ensure the invoices are processed and uploaded onto OneSchool Agresso by the last business day of each month.
Payment details
| Semester 1 Recurrent | February | 50% of annual allocation |
| Semester 2 Recurrent | July | 50% of annual allocation |
| Contingency | Monthly | As required |
Data requirements
|
| Utilities expenditure and consumption | OneSchool | July each year |
How to apply
Schools do not need to apply for the utilities appropriation, however, should ensure that data in OneSchool is entered correctly to ensure the correct funding is provided.
For any additional assistance or support with school utilities funding, please contact the Utilities and Sustainability Team.
Contact
Utilities and Sustainability
Phone: (07) 3034 4542
Email:
Utilities.Facilities@qed.qld.gov.au