Churches and church halls come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and there is no one size fits all to solution to reducing the energy use across all the different types and usage patterns.
If you are just starting out have a look at the advice sections on Fabric, lighting, heating and renewables.
Once you have identified the projects you’d like to investigate further, go to the ‘How can we help’ section to see what advice and grant support there is available
Reducing your Energy Footprint
Fabric
The first place to begin is with the fabric of the building. A dry and draught free church will be a much more pleasant and easy to heat space. Energy: Economic, Environmental& Efficiency Improvements
Lighting
LED lighting is now a mature technology and can be incorporated into a flexible lighting solution. LED bulbs come in a range of colour temperatures and can now be dimmed to facilitate mood lighting.
It may be difficult to find bulbs for some older lighting fittings. It is possible to use adaptors in some cases.
LED is often presented as a simple, quick win measure that typically pays back in months if not years. In church settings, this can sometimes not be the case due to the difficulty and cost of accessing the bulbs or fittings to be replaced.
Heating
Improvements in technologies and understanding are changing the way we are addressing the very real challenges of heating the old, uninsulated, draughty buildings we love so much.
There are some key considerations when thinking about what heating solution will be right for you and your church or church hall and there is no one size fits all solution. The starting point to identifying the right heating system is a full understanding of your building and its usage, both current and anticipated. There is a huge amount of useful guidance on the Church of England website including a heating checklist that will help identify the most suitable heating options.
Heating | The Church of England
Renewables
Most churches are a potential location for solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels and some might be a suitable for wind turbines but there a number of considerations that need to be taken into account when developing a renewable energy project. Guidance on installing solar PV can be found here: Solar_Panels_and_Faculty_Guidance_0.pdf
How Can We Help
People
· Net Zero Carbon Advisor
· Lighting Advisor
· Heating Advisor
· Faculty Advisor
Grant Funding
· Quick Wins
· Demonstrator Church
· Give to Go Green