The easy-to-use Energy Footprint Tool will tell your church what your “carbon footprint” is, based on the energy you use to heat and light your buildings. You can find information about it via the Church of England website here: Energy Footprint tool

Or you can watch a demonstration of how to use it via youtube here:

The Energy Footprint Tool for 2023 is still open

The national Church of England Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) is still open for churches to enter their energy use from 2022. The deadline for entries to be included in national statistics was the end of August 2023. The Energy Footprint Tool will however remain open until the end of the year for churches to submit their details. This will then ensure dioceses can apply on their behalf for Net Zero Carbon Programme grants and schemes being launched this year.

Why do we need the EFT?

In 2020, the Diocese of Norwich, with the Church of England, set itself the target of achieving net zero carbon (CO2e) by 2030.

The Diocese needs to track progress, by measuring churches’ use of energy. EFT calculates emissions of CO2e from those measurements.

Most of churches’ emissions comes from energy used by their buildings (mainly electric and gas for light and heat). Therefore the energy use of church buildings needs to be radically reduced, while still keeping the church warm and well lit.

As everyone knows, our energy use also needs to be cut to the bone because it has become so expensive.

How to make your entries

Your entries can be made at Church of England Online Parish Returns You’ll need first to gather together:

• Names of your gas and electricity suppliers, and whether they supply 100% renewable energy or offset your consumption
• Utility bills for whole of 2021, and/or meter readings from the beginning and end of the year
• Bills for any purchases, including oil if you still use oil
• Other heating systems you may have eg heat pumps, capacity of your solar PV panels (if any), and units generated during the year.

Don’t forget to enter data for any separate hall or other building(s) on the site, as well as the church itself.

You’ll need to enter:

Size of the church and any hall in square meters.
The system is set up to give you ratings for efficiency compared to the church’s size and how busy it is.

So you can also enter estimates of numbers attending services and using the buildings at other times, and details of work-related travel by church staff. This helps to get a full picture of how you’re getting on with improving your efficiency.