Growing number of churches moving away from oil and gas amid rising energy prices

A match funding pilot scheme from the Church of England's Net Zero Carbon Programme for churches to pay for work such as under pew heating, LED lighting, insulation, electrical upgrades and small solar panel and battery storage schemes has been expanded after it exceeded its targets.

 

Give to Go Green  will be expanded to all  42 of the Church of England’s dioceses after  £938,000 – exceeding targets  – was raised by 127 churches to help pay for work to cut their carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency. The total was boosted by an additional £830,000 of match funding from the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon programme.

  

St Paul’s Church, near Seahouses in North Sunderland, collaborated with a local initiative, Community Action Northumberland, to install solar panels on the roof at no cost. Under the terms of the deal, CAN maintains the solar panels, with the church provided with subsidised electricity over the next 20 years.  The church has also replaced an ageing oil fired boiler with a heat pump paid with help from the Church of England's boiler replacement hardship fund.

 

The work at St Paul’s was completed ahead of the retirement of Canon Tony Macpherson after seven years as Priest in Charge. More details on the scheme can be found on the Diocese of Newcastle website.

 

“I shall be sad not to be here when we turn on the heating in the autumn,” he said. 

 

“Our old oil boiler did sterling work but its age and condition made replacement essential – and looking towards a greener heating solution was absolutely vital.”  

 

Carol  Griffiths, Eco Champion for the church. She said: “The old oil fired boiler was installed in 1979 and for the last couple of winters, on windy days the wind would blow it out. We had it serviced every year and the company that did this told us in the last few years that it was on its last legs. The air source heat pump will use subsidised electricity.”

 All Saints Stamford in the Diocese of Lincoln, has installed a ‘halo system’ of eight electric chandeliers with infra-red heaters after its oil fired boiler collapsed three years ago.    

 

The medieval church, in the centre of the town, hosts concerts, a coffee bar, and art workshops throughout the year. Its hall also acts as a warm space in winter, serving lunches and hosting a food bank.   

 

Father Neil Shaw, Rector of All Saints, said: “It’s a brilliant system, so that when a group is meeting at the back of the church, you can heat that part only, and on a Friday evening we can heat part of the front, just for the choir when they meet to practise and then at services we can heat the whole church.    

 

“You can put the heating on 20 minutes before a service, whereas with the oil fired system we had to put it on an hour before the service started.” 

 

He said a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant had been crucial for paying for the work, with a dedicated team of church volunteers heading the project management work.

 

St Paul's Nork in the Diocese of Guildford, a brick built, unlisted building in a suburban area, installed infra-red panels last year into seven zones in the church after it oil fired boiler failed.  

 

It also received a boiler replacement hardship grant from the Church of England's Net Zero Carbon programme. “Oil-fired heating did not work very well - the radiators were right against the wall, and it was taking many hours before services to heat the building," said Martin Carr, former Net Zero officer for the Diocese.  

 

“Now with infra-red, once turned on, there is instant heat and within half an hour the building is comfortable.  It has a zoning system, so that if there is a meeting taking place only in one part of the church, then it will turn the heating on just for this area."  

 

The Church of St Mary and St Gabriel, a rural church in Binbrook, Lincolnshire, is looking into replacing its oil fired boiler with a more environmentally sustainable heating system after its oil was stolen from its tanks twice in three months this year. 

 

Pete Beveridge, Churchwarden, said community crowdfunding had raised £460 to re fill the tank - a 'wonderful' and 'generous' gift - but this was not a sustainable solution in the long term.

 

 “We are beginning to question whether oil is the way forward for a number of reasons, as a church we can’t keep on filling the oil tank in order to replenish somebody else’s. The boiler is 40 or 50 years old and we feel it is time to consider what else is out there and an environmentally friendly system is one of the options. The issue is the cost.”  

 

St Leonard’s Southoe, a 12th century Grade I listed rural church in the Diocese of Ely, received a grant from Huntingdonshire District Council to help pay for the installation of solar panels on its nave and south aisle roofs.

 

The church has now received a grant from the Church of England’s Net Zero programme and the National Lottery Community Fund to help pay for a ‘halo’ system of electric chandeliers and infra-red panels to heat the church and a linked LED lighting system. The church is a popular venue for community activities, such as quizzes, choir concerts, talks and craft sessions.

 

The Rev Annette Reed, who although now retired as Rector of the church, continues to help oversee grant applications for the PCC, including its Net Zero work. She recently described the old oil-fired boiler in the tower base as "extremely unpleasant, subject to a condemnation order and in need of swift removal."

 

“We had more than one oil theft as well from the tank outside, during my 10 years as Rector.

 

"We are delighted this boiler and tank have now been removed and greatly look forward to this new carbon reducing electrical system, which complements the new solar panels. 

 

"This new system is very much part of the larger project creating a useful space for the community. Our thanks to the Net Zero programme for enabling this to happen”. 

 

Julian Atkins, the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Programme Director, said: “As Christians, we believe we have a responsibility to care for God’s creation and to bear witness to the love we have for our neighbours, particularly those who are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change. That is not about politics, but about living out our faith in a practical and demonstrable way. 

 

 "Across the country, parishes are taking action in ways that make sense for their own buildings and communities – raising money locally, making buildings more energy efficient and finding other practical solutions to reduce carbon emissions. 

 

"We are deeply grateful to all our many committed volunteers who make this possible. Our role through the national Net Zero Carbon Programme is to create the conditions and provide the funding and expertise to help them do that. 

 

"For many churches, this is about much more than reducing carbon.

 

"It is about creating warmer, more welcoming buildings that can serve their communities well, while using resources wisely and, where possible, reducing energy costs so that more can be invested in mission and ministry. 

 

"That is why this work matters. 

 

"Every step makes a difference. If we can maintain momentum and keep taking realistic, proportionate steps, those actions will add up to something significant. 

 

"My hope is that if we can demonstrate what is possible in some of the most historically significant and culturally valuable buildings across the country, then our churches can be a beacons of hope for their communities and others to follow.”