21/05/2025
Christine had solar panels at home for 14 years. Initially, they’d reduced her electricity costs by a third. When she added a battery, that increased to two-thirds saved. She was also adding electricity to the grid and getting paid for it.
So when All Saints’ Rector, Rev Dave Poultney, suggested that the church have solar panels, Christine was the obvious person to explore the issue. She was soon to find out that there are more challenges to putting solar panels on a Grade II* listed church in a Conservation Area than on a private home.
“I hadn’t realised it could be so hard,” said Christine. The whole process took two-and-a-half years and saw Christine and the congregation make the case for the 50-strong solar panel array on the roof of the south aisle (plus a battery in the lower vestry to store power) to the diocese, the local planning authority and even Historic England.
Finally, in December 2024, with the necessary consents in place the solar panels were installed, and a special ceremony was held to mark the occasion.
Christine, who was the project lead, said, “We are thankful for the solar panels and battery that will help us to rely less on burning stuff; for the grants to pay for everything; and for a chance to be, in any way we can, part of the solution and not just part of the problem."
The total project cost was around £40,000, this included preparatory work and contingency funds. To help fund the project, All Saints received grants from the Net Zero Church Improvement Fund of Coventry Diocese and from the Church of England’s national Net Zero Demonstrator Church scheme (£10,190) which also included co-funding from Benefact Trust (£7,296). The congregation was also very generous on its Gift Day in 2023.
Carbon and cost savings
Over 25 years - the guaranteed minimum lifespan of the solar panels - and with the church’s initial investment of £19,000 , the church is predicted to save over £155,170.
CO² from All Saints is 22.6 tonnes gross. The solar installation is expected to save 5 tonnes of carbon, which is about 22% of the church’s carbon emissions.
Electricity bills have drastically reduced too. The average monthly electricity bill was around £500. But in April this year was £88, with the rest of the supply coming from the solar panels.
“It feels like God is doing so much here”
Now, the church has become a Demonstrator Church, helping others to gain knowledge of how to make changes in their setting to reduce carbon emissions.
Why will this make a difference? Because “it feels like God is doing so much here,” said Christine. That includes three Sunday services, a People’s Pantry, as well as youth work and outreach, a warm hub and an Alpha course.
Rachel Taylor, the MP for North Warwickshire, said, “The church is open longer hours doing vital outreach, youth work and helping families with the cost-of-living crisis. The church and the diocese should be commended for this work which helps to reduce anti-social behaviour. The church cannot survive as a monument only.”
It certainly isn’t ‘a monument’ with 120 people on the electoral roll and roughly 70 attending services. Generally, the local response has been positive said Christine, who says it’s another practical demonstration of the Christian faith.
“I think this says that we mean business,” she said. “We need to tackle our carbon emissions. It’s an important thing for the environment and our future.”
It’s also an important thing for the community. The money saved on electricity bills ‘could now fund youth work’. Plus, the church no longer has the stress of paying high electricity bills.
The church had already installed LED lights, draft excluders around external doors, timers for hot water, insulation in loft space, secondary glazing in offices, a more efficient fridge and freezer, and established better heating schedules. But it doesn’t end there, Christine said, “I’m glad we have taken this forward. It’s good. But next, we have to do the heating.”
The good news is that All Saints Bedworth has received a further grant of up to £18,000 from the Church of England’s Net Zero Demonstrator Churches scheme to help them identify the most appropriate way to retrofit a net zero carbon heating solution for their church, and they are already progressing well.
All Saints’ shows that it really is a journey to Net Zero Carbon, not one step.
Christine's top tips
- Understand the issues involved with a Grade II* Listed building in a Conservation Area and ensure that they are reflected in the design and siting of the array that you choose. Plain black panels and bird-proofing are a good combination for a neat, unintrusive result.
- If the local planning team is not receptive to solar panels on a listed church, find out what is needed for the application to go before the planning committee as more people will be involved in the decision. (In Christine’s case getting enough people to write to the planning department in favour of the scheme meant the application went to committee).
- Ensure that supporters go along to the committee meeting. Their presence will show that local people are in favour of the scheme.
- Arrange scaffolding that complies with insurance guidelines and think about local wildlife including bats and swifts. It may be worth consulting a local wildlife expert to ensure you are not disturbing bats as they are a protected species.
- Discuss the implications of the installation on your insurance and what you need to do to limit the increase in premiums as an early part of your project planning.