Grade I church becomes net zero carbon with heat pumps, insulation, and more: St Andrew by the Wardrobe

Grade I listed St Andrew by the Wardrobe (Diocese of London) has undertaken a major reordering, including insulation and heat pumps. 

Previous repairs were done quickly and cheaply following damage in the blitz, meaning that the building was very draughty and inefficient to heat.

This case study shows how the parish overcame this central issue, by improving the insulation and fitting two electric heat sources; an air-source heat pump and electric radiators. The electricity needed for these is purchased from a green supplier, meaning that the church will now be net zero carbon.

This page contains a short format video, a written case study, two longer videos and a section with faith-based discussion questions. 

What was done?

Why we acted

Discussion Questions for "Why we acted"

John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

In this video, people are sharing the motivation which led them to get involved with this environmental project. They share lots of ideas, prayers and hopes which you might like to discuss. Here are a few questions to help you think, but you might like to start your discussions by talking about the parts of the video that stood out most to you. This video is part of a set of videos, and there are some common themes across them all, particularly around ‘stewardship’ and caring for creation, and around justice for people in poor countries or for future generations. So other videos might include some interesting questions which relate to this video too. Feel free to explore them all!

  1. Both Bob and Luke talk about the need to respond to God’s call on their lives. What is God’s call on your life? Is there an environmental call on your life that you need to respond to?
  2. Luke also says that our response to God, and to God’s love for us, is to love one another. What does caring for the environment have to do with loving one another? Is there an overlap?