ENERGY SPARKS

Registered charity 1189273 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q114827203

Energy Sparks offers an online energy analysis tool and energy education programme specifically designed to help schools reduce their electricity and gas usage through the analysis of half hourly smart meter data. Energy Sparks provides advice and activities to support pupils and the wider school community to reduce their school's carbon footprint.

Objects

(A) 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.(B) 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.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Bath and North East Somerset, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£552k

Latest spending

£575k

Registered

2020

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves were £191,224, representing approximately 3.5 months of core running costs, which aligns with the trustees' policy target of maintaining 3-4 months of reserves. Although the charity reported a net movement in funds of -£22,771 for the year, the trustees confirm the organization remains a going concern with adequate resources for the next 12 months.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £80,000 - £89,999 — in the top quarter for charities its size (median £60k)

“£80,000 - £89,999 - 1 employee” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 2

“Two employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000 during the reporting period.” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Largest income source: Drax Foundation (27% of income)

“The most significant grant income comprised £150,000 from the Drax Foundation”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Fundraising cost ratio: 1.5% of fundraised income, as disclosed

“In 2024/2025, 10% of CEO salary, pension and employers NI costs (£8,160) were allocated to Raising Funds.” — page 20

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: 3-4 months' of core running costs (held: £191k)

“The Trustees have agreed to maintain 3-4 months' of core running costs as reserves” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2025

Government income: £18,635 — contracts £18,635 (6); 3% of the £552,300 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 2 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1)

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

Government income: £15,195 — contracts £15,195 (4); 3% of the £562,059 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 2 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £70,001–£80,000: 1)

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

Volunteers: 5
Government income: £266,162 — contracts £25,200 (1), grants £240,962 (2); 57% of the £464,967 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 2 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £70,001–£80,000: 1)

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)

Total income

£552k

Total spending

£575k

Cost of raising funds

£8k

Reserves (reported)

£191k

Employees

10

Reported reserves equal ~4.0 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (99% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 1.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Helen Elizabeth Burgechair · trustee of 1 other charity
Andrew Clive Houston
Dr Robert Richard Cohen · trustee of 1 other charity
Edward William Moore · trustee of 1 other charity
Esther Griffin
Hazel Mallett · trustee of 1 other charity
Professor Ian Walker
Timothy Warnes

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£552k	£575k
31/08/2024	£562k	£501k
31/08/2023	£465k	£499k
31/08/2022	£422k	£290k
31/08/2021	£221k	£162k

Common questions

Is ENERGY SPARKS financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves were £191,224, representing approximately 3.5 months of core running costs, which aligns with the trustees' policy target of maintaining 3-4 months of reserves. Although the charity reported a net movement in funds of -£22,771 for the year, the trustees confirm the organization remains a going concern with adequate resources for the next 12 months. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

What does the highest-paid employee of ENERGY SPARKS earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £80,000 - £89,999 band, and 2 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds ENERGY SPARKS?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ENERGY SPARKS as a grant recipient include THE OVO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, King Charles III Charitable Fund.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE OVO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2022	£170k	Climate Changers
THE OVO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2023	£142k
THE OVO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2025	£121k
THE OVO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2024	£115k
THE OVO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2021	£114k	Energy Sparks
King Charles III Charitable Fund	FY2025	amount not stated	Small grants programme support for five schools in Bath and North East Somerset.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
Postcode Lottery	30/06/2023	£25k	Project Funding

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
The Portal Trust	2	£95k
THE PWC FOUNDATION	2	£51k
THE CITY OF LONDON OCTOBER CLUB	1	£810k
BERNARD LEWIS FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£343k
THE DAWES TRUST	1	£228k
THE BARROW CADBURY TRUST	1	£141k
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION	1	£130k
THE AURUM CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£105k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ENERGY SAVING TRUST FOUNDATION.

THE ENERGY SAVING TRUST FOUNDATION income £211k
SPARK COMMUNITY SPACE income £267k
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION income £32k
GREENPOWER EDUCATION TRUST income £1.4m
ECOACTIVE income £235k
LEARNING WITH PARENTS income £901k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ENERGY SPARKS	£552k	£80,000 - £89,999	2	within	1.5%	no doubt
THE ENERGY SAVING TRUST FOUNDATION FY2026	£211k	£60,001 - £70,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SPARK COMMUNITY SPACE FY2026	£267k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FY2025	£32k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
GREENPOWER EDUCATION TRUST FY2025	£1.4m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
ECOACTIVE FY2025	£235k	—	0	below	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.